Rubio Rules Out Sanctions Relief as Leverage to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 2 that the Trump administration has not offered, and does not intend to offer, Iran sanctions relief in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. ^[1][2] Speaking in his first public testimony since the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran began Feb. 28, Rubio drew a firm line: any sanctions relief remains conditioned on Iranian concessions regarding its nuclear program, the stated basis for the sanctions regime in the first place. ^[3][5] The administration has structured talks in two sequential phases, he said, with Strait access as the threshold requirement and nuclear negotiations as the second phase.

The first phase of the framework requires Iran to reopen the strait to free navigation, without tolling or threatening commercial shipping. ^[15][16] The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has, since mid-March, operated what maritime analysts have described as a toll regime, routing tankers through Iranian territorial waters near Qeshm and Larak islands and charging fees reported at up to $2 million per transit. ^[9][10] Before the Feb. 28 strikes, approximately 110 to 140 ships transited the strait daily, carrying roughly 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. ^[10][11] That volume has since fallen to a fraction of pre-war levels. ^[11] Iran's toll-collection practice draws directly on Article 26 of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, which prohibits charges levied on foreign ships solely by reason of their passage, and legal analysts have called the regime a clear violation of the right of transit passage guaranteed under UNCLOS Article 37. ^[7][8]

Only after Tehran clears that threshold would talks advance to phase two. Rubio described phase two as requiring Iran to commit to specific negotiations on "the disposition of the highly enriched uranium that still is buried deep in a mountain somewhere," as well as "severe and long-term limitations and, or, cancellation of enrichment activity." ^[15] He acknowledged the technical complexity involved, saying resolution would require a team of experts working over a 30-, 60-, or 90-day period. ^[15] Rubio told lawmakers that talks may now include "aspects of their nuclear programme" that Iran was unwilling to discuss as recently as a month ago, but cautioned that "is not a guarantee it will ultimately lead to a deal that's acceptable." ^[19]

Rubio attributed the slow pace of negotiations in part to Iran's internal decision-making structure. He said Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly injured in the same strike that killed his father on Feb. 28, has had to receive negotiating positions at a secure, undisclosed location, with Iranian interlocutors running messages back before advancing discussions. ^[16] Rubio also said there are indications that Mojtaba Khamenei is taking a more active part in the process, though "all of his communications have been in writing and through intermediaries." ^[2] The day of the hearing, Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported that Tehran had not communicated with the U.S. side in several days and was taking a "stern" approach. ^[19] President Donald Trump, in a separate statement, disputed reports that talks had paused. ^[16]

The sanctions question carries a threshold ambiguity that Rubio did not fully resolve. Iran has sought an interim agreement with sanctions relief that would allow access to billions of dollars in frozen oil revenue. ^[4] Rubio's public remarks confined the analysis to formal U.S. sanctions relief, and did not address whether access to frozen Iranian funds held by third countries such as Qatar could be unlocked as part of a preliminary understanding. That distinction is legally material: releasing frozen sovereign assets held abroad implicates separate authorities from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act sanctions architecture that governs most primary and secondary Iran sanctions. The administration has continued to add sanctions designations against Iranian actors while negotiations have proceeded. ^[4]

Congressional pressure is mounting. The Senate last month advanced a war powers resolution that would end the Iran conflict unless Trump obtains congressional authorization; days later, House leaders postponed a parallel vote when it appeared likely to pass. ^[3] Republican members of Congress are pressing for the strait to reopen before November midterm elections, which will decide whether the party retains its slim majorities. ^[1] At the same hearing, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the committee's ranking Democrat, accused the administration of submitting a war powers notification asserting no active hostilities were underway while U.S. strikes against Iran were ongoing, a characterization that directly implicates the War Powers Resolution of 1973. ^[1][4] Rubio, who also holds the title of national security adviser, is scheduled to appear at additional hearings before both chambers this week. ^[4]