U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on the 21st (local time) that if Iran pushes to impose tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, a diplomatic agreement would be impossible.
Minister Rubio, speaking to reporters before departing for Sweden to attend a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers' meeting, said the international community opposes Iran's toll collection.
Rubio said, "There is a related resolution at the United Nations. We intend to bring it to the U.N. Security Council," adding, "More than 100 countries are joining this resolution. That is the largest number in the Security Council's history."
Minister Rubio, on cease-fire talks with Iran, said he heard that Pakistan, the mediator, planned to visit Iran that day, adding, "I hope this becomes an opportunity to move the situation forward." He continued, "There are some good signs, but I don't want to be overly optimistic," and said, "We will watch what happens over the next few days."
Minister Rubio said he would raise at this NATO foreign ministers' meeting the issue of some member states refusing U.S. requests for cooperation amid the Iran war. He said NATO benefits the United States "because it provides bases that allow us to project military power when emergencies occur in the Middle East or elsewhere," and asked, "If countries like Spain refuse us the use of bases, why should they be in NATO?"
Minister Rubio also said, "This issue needs to be resolved, and I hope to resolve it and prepare ahead of next month's (NATO) summit."
He particularly said, "Every country in the world agrees that Iran must not possess nuclear weapons, and while (Iran) is not the United States, it already has missiles that can reach Europe, yet whenever we try to actually step up and do something, everyone hides," adding, "I think we are very angry about that point, and the president has made that clear."
On Cuba, Minister Rubio said, "What U.S. President Donald Trump prefers is an agreement through peaceful negotiations," but added, "Given whom we are dealing with now, the odds of that happening are not high."
The United States is taking a hard-line approach to Cuba, strengthening the embargo and indicting former President Raul Castro, a key figure in the Cuban Revolution and the behind-the-scenes power broker. Minister Rubio said, "This is not nation building," adding, "We are dealing with issues directly related to U.S. national security."
Minister Rubio continued, "Ebola is an important issue, but it is an issue in Africa. Cuba is just 90 miles (about 145 kilometers) from our coast," explaining, "Cuba is heading toward a failed state, and any migration crisis, violence, or instability arising there directly affects the United States."
Minister Rubio said the Cuban government agreed to accept $100 million (about 150 billion won) in humanitarian aid recently proposed by the Trump administration, adding, "We will see if that is sincere, because what we provide as humanitarian aid must not end up in Cuban military corporations, which then sell the goods at dollar stores and pocket the money."
Regarding the Ebola response, Minister Rubio criticized the World Health Organization (WHO), saying, "Unfortunately, the WHO has not played its role properly in the world. It failed miserably during the coronavirus crisis and covered for China. That's why we are withdrawing."
He added, however, "We will cooperate with anyone who seeks to solve that problem." He also said, "The top priority is to prevent Ebola from entering the United States."