U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed Iran's proposal to collect fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz as inoperable, saying any vessel refusing to pay would be shot at, which renders the system 'not just unwise, it simply cannot happen.' The remarks echo his earlier statements rejecting any form of payment in the strait, as reported by The Zioneer.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday escalated his public rejection of Iran's proposed toll system in the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that enforcement by shooting at non-paying vessels makes the scheme inherently unworkable.
'You shoot one ship, you sink one ship, and no other ship will move,' Rubio said, dismissing the idea as a 'fantasy.' The remarks build on a chain of increasingly firm statements from Rubio this week. As The Zioneer reported on Tue Jun 23 at 19:17 Jerusalem, Rubio initially stated that no country may charge for passage through the international waterway. Later the same day, he characterized Iran's proposal as a 'semantic game' and confirmed that no Gulf state supports the toll plan.
The thread shows the U.S. position hardening across multiple platforms: from a general principle to Gulf coordination, and now to a practical argument that the scheme cannot be enforced without paralyzing global oil shipping. Rubio's latest comments offer no new operational or diplomatic steps, and no evidence of a formal U.S.-Iran understanding on tolls has emerged.
What remains open is whether Iran will respond to Rubio's dismissal or persist in its stated intent to begin collecting fees after a 60-day ceasefire period, as The Zioneer reported on Wed Jun 24 citing an Abu Ali Express analysis. No concrete timeline or alternative proposal has been put forward by either side.
7 developments
- StrongMarco Rubio says US relations with Oman 'fine', dismisses Hormuz toll system
- StrongTrump reiterates: No final Iran deal may include tolls in Strait of Hormuz
- StrongIranian Foreign Ministry spokesman: toll collection in Strait of Hormuz continues, contradicting Trump
- DevelopingRubio dismisses Iranian 'extreme rhetoric', warns US will act if ships blocked
Source and signal
- Internal intake