October 1, 2026
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Monday that Washington takes “very seriously” Iran’s repeated threats to target American interests around the world, warning Tehran of facing “severe repercussions” if any of these interests are exposed to any attack.
In statements he made to Fox News, Rubio explained that “Iran’s problem does not lie in the country itself, but in the ruling regime in it,” noting at the same time that the Strait of Hormuz is still “open,” and that the movement of oil flowing through it is gradually approaching the levels recorded before the outbreak of the conflict.
The Foreign Minister accused Tehran of seeking to use its military arsenal to threaten countries in the region and American forces, in preparation for moving towards developing a nuclear weapon. He added that Tehran’s possession of nuclear capabilities would have given it the ability to “close the Strait of Hormuz and impose financial fees on countries for crossing it.”
In a related security file, Rubio commented on the ongoing investigations into a suspected plot to carry out a bombing near a British air base used by American forces, stressing the presence of “clear fingerprints of a foreign party” behind the operation, while refraining from providing additional details or directly accusing Iran.
