Iran tolling Strait of Hormuz would collapse chances of diplomatic deal: Rubio
- By Reuters -
- May 21, 2026
A diplomatic deal between the United States and Iran would be unfeasible if Tehran implemented a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Thursday.
“No one in the world is in favor of the tolling system. It can’t happen. It would be unacceptable. It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they were to continue to pursue that. So it’s a threat to the world if they were trying to do that, and it’s completely illegal,” Rubio said.
He also told reporters there had been some progress in talks with Tehran to end the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, but that Washington was dealing with “a system that itself is a little fractured.”
“There’s some good signs,” Rubio said. “I don’t want to be overly optimistic … So, let’s see what happens over the next few days.”
Iran’s Hormuz authority claims control of waters south of UAE port
Iran’s new body overseeing the Strait of Hormuz said its claimed area of control extends to Emirati waters, drawing a sharp rebuke from the Gulf neighbour.
Traffic through Hormuz, a vital global shipping conduit, has come under Iranian control since the outbreak of war with Israel and the United States on February 28.
Iran, which has blockaded the strait since the war and is charging ships for passage, has insisted that vessels must obtain permission from its armed forces.
In a post on X on Wednesday accompanied by a map, the newly-established Persian Gulf Strait Authority said it had outlined “the regulatory jurisdiction for the management” of the strait.
It said this covered the area between the line extending from “Kuh-e Mubarak in Iran to the south of Fujairah in the UAE… to the line connecting the tip of Qeshm island in Iran to Umm Al-Quwain in the UAE.”
It added that “transit through this area for the purpose of passing through the Hormuz Strait requires coordination with, and authorisation from, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority.”
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The United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah port hosts oil infrastructure designed to bypass the strategic waterway.
Emirati presidential adviser Anwar Gargash on Thursday slammed the Iranian announcement.
“The regime is trying to establish a new reality born from a clear military defeat, but attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz or infringe on the UAE’s maritime sovereignty are nothing but pipe dreams,” he posted on X.
Relations between Iran and the United Arab Emirates have been severely strained since the war, after Tehran launched missile and drone strikes against Gulf countries in response to US-Israeli attacks.