Rubio calls Iran talks positive but not a breakthrough
Iran has given Washington a four to five day deadline on the Strait of Hormuz, which it is keeping closed while it weighs the US response.
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Map: The Gulf and Hormuz, marking Strait of Hormuz
UpdateWednesday, September 23, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET
Iran's Foreign Ministry says Washington must accept a safe shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz that Tehran has agreed with Oman before any further talks can proceed. The ministry's spokesperson listed the route alongside other conditions: an end to what Iran calls a naval blockade, a halt to the war, and the unfreezing of Iranian assets. Iran's security chief has said separately that the strait will stay closed until Iran's conditions are met. Rubio has acknowledged the Hormuz issue as part of the discussion.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the meeting with Iranian officials was positive but not a breakthrough. He said Iran fired at commercial ships this morning and cited military options available to President Trump in response. Rubio said the United States will keep the strait open, a position that hardens the standoff with Tehran.
Iran's security council has set Washington a four to five day deadline tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and is keeping the strait closed while it weighs the US response. President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly that widening the war will not bring security, and said Iran will not surrender to military power. He added that Iran believes in diplomacy but is not afraid of a fight. Pezeshkian has linked access to the strait to Tehran's security demands, a link he drew as US envoy Steve Witkoff wrapped up talks with Iranian mediators.
Rubio's description of the meeting fits the pattern of the past few days: both sides say they are willing to keep talking while neither gives ground. Iran has attached conditions and a deadline to reopening the strait, the US has kept military options in view, and neither has moved from its position. That leaves the odds of de-escalation neutral to slightly constructive, with diplomacy still in an early, exploratory stage rather than moving toward a resolution.