US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, 25 May 2025 signalled that the world could receive 'good news' regarding the Strait of Hormuz within hours, disclosing that 'significant progress' — though not final progress — had been achieved in ongoing US-Iran diplomatic negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme. The remarks came during a joint press conference in New Delhi alongside External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

What Rubio Said on the Strait

Rubio described the Strait of Hormuz as an international waterway that Iran does not own, and condemned Tehran's reported threats against commercial vessels passing through it as illegal under international law. He warned that allowing such behaviour to become normalised would set 'a dangerous precedent' replicable across multiple regions of the world.

He said the US and its partners in the Gulf region had spent the previous 48 hours working on an outline that could, if accepted and implemented by Iran, result in 'a completely open straits — and I mean open straits without tolls.' He stressed, however, that full Iranian acceptance and compliance would be required, along with further technical negotiations.

Nuclear Weapon Red Line

Rubio reiterated President Donald Trump's unambiguous position that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, calling it a principle that 'shouldn't be questioned by anybody.' He argued that while multiple US presidents have stated the same goal, Trump is 'the only one who has tried to do anything and has actually done anything about it in a real way.'

He added that suggestions the current administration might agree to a deal leaving Iran in a stronger nuclear position were 'absurd,' reaffirming that diplomacy remained the preferred route. 'His preference is to find a diplomatic way that these problems can be solved — that's always the president's preference. He would have much rather have me and the Department of State solve this problem than the Department of War having to solve this problem, but the problem is going to be solved one way or the other,' Rubio said.

Progress, But Work Remains

Rubio was careful to temper expectations, repeatedly framing developments as progress on an 'outline' rather than a concluded agreement. 'I don't want to downplay that. But I also want to caveat it by saying we still have some work to do, we will see,' he noted. He deferred to President Trump for any formal announcements, indicating further statements could follow later that day.

Notably, the remarks came during Rubio's visit to New Delhi, underscoring the strategic importance of India — a major consumer of Gulf energy — in the broader diplomatic calculus around Strait of Hormuz security. This is the latest in a series of high-stakes diplomatic engagements as the Trump administration pursues a deal to permanently remove the Iranian nuclear threat.

What Comes Next

Any agreement on the Strait and Iran's nuclear programme would require detailed technical negotiations, particularly around the nuclear components, which Rubio acknowledged 'would probably need to be addressed over some period of time.' The coming hours and days are expected to bring further official statements from Washington on the state of the talks.