Secretary of State says that Tehran uses control over energy routes as pressure, and warns of global risk
The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated this Monday (April 27, 2026) that Iran has boasted about its ability to control a relevant part of the global energy flow. Since the beginning of the war, the Persian country has acted to block oil tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement was made in an interview with Fox Newsin which Rubio cited threats linked to the control of strategic oil transportation routes as one of the main points of concern for the White House.
According to the secretary, the Iranian government is publicly promoting the idea that it can interfere with global supplies. “They’re putting up billboards in Tehran boasting about how they can hold 20% or 25% of the world’s energy hostage,” these.
The speech took place in the context of still uncertainty between the United States and Iran, after a . Rubio indicated that, despite signs of dialogue, doubts persist about Iran’s willingness to sign a lasting agreement.
The President of the United States, Donald Trump (Republican Party), told advisors on Monday (27 April) that he was not satisfied with Iran’s most recent proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the conflict. The Iranian plan called for an end to the U.S. naval blockade, but did not address restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Trump has insisted that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. According to US officials, accepting the current terms could appear to be a political defeat for Trump, the report said. The New York Times.
The secretary also related the control of maritime routes to what he classified as a “economic weapon”, when mentioning the possibility of restrictions on international navigation. For him, the attempt to impose conditions on traffic on strategic roads would create a global precedent.
“If this is normalized, countries around the world could decide to control routes close to their coasts and charge tolls”, he stated.
Rubio reiterated that the United States’ main concern remains Iran’s nuclear program. According to him, the combination of military capacity and possible access to nuclear weapons would increase the risk to international stability.
“The central problem remains preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon,” these.
During the interview, the secretary also stated that the Persian country is facing internal economic difficulties and would be seeking to gain time in negotiations. Still, he stressed that any agreement must definitively guarantee the limitation of Iran’s nuclear program.
