US Secretary of State Says Iran Sanctions Relief Not Granted for Hormuz Opening

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said to Congress on Tuesday that the U.S. will not grant Iran sanctions relief simply for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

This stance signals a continued hardline approach to Tehran, emphasizing that maritime security alone is insufficient to trigger a shift in U.S. economic pressure. By tying sanctions to the nuclear file, the administration aims to prevent Iran from using regional stability as a bargaining chip without addressing its atomic capabilities.

Rubio spoke before members of Congress in Washington, D.C., where he clarified the administration's position on the conditional nature of any future relief. He said, "The U.S. administration has not offered to ease sanctions on Iran just for reopening the Strait of Hormuz" ^[1].

According to Rubio, any potential easing of sanctions would be strictly conditional on Iran's nuclear file and the status of its centrifuge program ^[2]. He said that Iran will not receive any relief unless specific conditions are met ^[3].

The Secretary of State justified this position by citing the ongoing threat posed by Iran's military and nuclear infrastructure. Rubio said that the U.S. intends to maintain pressure because Iran still possesses a large number of drones ^[4]. He said that the country continues to enrich uranium at high levels ^[5].

This approach reflects a strategy of maximum pressure intended to force concessions regarding the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles and the advancement of nuclear enrichment. The administration's refusal to decouple the Strait of Hormuz from the nuclear program suggests that the U.S. views the nuclear threat as the primary driver of its foreign policy in the region.