'We're Gonna Take It to the UN': Rubio Issues Stark Warning to Iran Over Strait of Hormuz Stranglehold

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vowed to bring Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz before the UN Security Council, as a fragile US-Iran ceasefire deal continued to hang in the balance this week. The declaration came as Washington pressed Tehran on multiple fronts — at the negotiating table, at sea, and now before the world's most prominent multilateral body.

Speaking at a White House press briefing, Rubio said that if the international community could not rally behind the resolution, 'I don't know what the utility of the UN system is, if it can't even solve something as straightforward as that.' The remarks underscored a growing sense of urgency within the Trump administration as the Hormuz standoff entered its fourth month with no clear resolution in sight.

A Deal That Keeps Slipping Away

US sources told the White House press pool on Thursday that a tentative agreement had been reached on a memorandum of understanding that would see a 60-day extension of the current ceasefire, a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme — but that it was still pending President Trump's approval.

Asked about the effort to strike a deal, Vice President JD Vance told reporters: 'We're not there yet, but we're very close, and we're going to keep on working at it.' Rubio was also scheduled to meet with Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, as Islamabad continues to play a key mediating role in indirect US-Iran talks.

Rubio's UN Push

The US resolution, co-drafted with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar, requires Iran to cease attacks, mining, and tolling, and demands that Tehran disclose the number and location of the sea mines it has laid and cooperate with efforts to remove them, while also supporting the establishment of a humanitarian corridor. If passed, it could lead to sanctions against Iran and potentially authorise force if Tehran fails to halt attacks and threats to commercial shipping in the strait.

'Unfortunately, a couple of countries on the Security Council are thinking about vetoing it. That would be lamentable,' Rubio said at a Nato meeting in the southern Swedish city of Helsingborg. 'We are doing everything we can, though, to achieve the sort of global consensus that's necessary to prevent this from happening, and we're trying to use the United Nations,' he added. It was a notable posture from an administration that has repeatedly questioned the relevance of multilateral institutions.

Tolls, Mines and Tehran's Red Lines

A central sticking point has been Iran's push to formalise a tolling system for vessels crossing the strait. The Trump administration ruled out allowing Iran to impose tolls as part of any deal, with Rubio saying 'there is not a country in the world that should accept' such a system, and accusing Iran of 'trying to convince Oman' to participate in 'this tolling system in an international waterway.' 'That's just not acceptable. It can't happen,' he said.

Iran pushed back on the tolls characterisation. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a weekly press briefing that Tehran was collecting fees for 'navigational services' rather than tolls, insisting the country was 'not seeking to collect tolls.' Meanwhile, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority said it would continue to review transit requests and issue passage permits to non-hostile vessels, despite being added to the US Treasury sanctions list.

'One Way or the Other'

Rubio has made clear that military options remain on the table if diplomacy falls short. 'The straits have to be open. They're going to be open one way or the other. So they need to be open,' Rubio said, adding: 'I mean, there's no country in the world that's in favor of a tolling system except the regime in Iran. So that's not acceptable; that cannot happen.'

The Strait of Hormuz, through which an average of 20 million barrels per day of crude oil and oil products were shipped in 2025, is one of the world's most critical oil transit chokepoints. Every day it remains contested means spiking energy prices, stranded civilian sailors, and fractured global supply chains. Russia and China previously vetoed a UN Security Council resolution aimed at reopening the strait, with the vote falling 11 in favour, two against, and two abstentions. Whether the Security Council can now deliver where it has once been blocked — and whether Rubio's vow to take it back to the UN amounts to more than rhetoric — will determine not only the fate of the waterway, but the credibility of multilateral diplomacy itself.