US ‘open’ to negotiations with Iran but Tehran not ‘serious’, Rubio says

US Secretary of State says Iranian control over Strait of Hormuz sets ‘dangerous precedent’, as attacks continue.United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio says his country is willing to negotiate an end to the Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="169305" data-entity-type="event">war on Iran but accuses Tehran of not being “serious” about talks.“The United States remains open and willing to engage in positive and constructive negotiations and discussions, provided that the commitments made are honoured,” Rubio said about Iran at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Manila on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US attacks Iran for 11th consecutive nightlist 2 of 3Hegseth called a ‘failure’ over Iran as he reveals $37b cost of warlist 3 of 3US expands strikes on 11th straight night of attacksend of list“The problem we’re having right now is that they’re not serious about talks. If they’re serious, we’re serious. If they’re not, then we will do what’s necessary to protect our interests and also the interests of our allies,” he added in the Philippine capital.This comes as the US launched attacks against Iran for an eleventh consecutive night, with explosions heard in several parts of the country.As the war continues to disrupt two of the world’s most important routes for the transport of energy, Rubio stressed that he was against Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz.“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and if you don’t pay them blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent, which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region,” he said.“At its core, it’s very simple. Iran demands the right, which they do not have under any existing legal mechanism, to control the transit of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.