Rubio warns Trump could act if Iran deal falls apart

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned in Kuwait that President Donald Trump could still act if Iran did not comply in talks, sharpening pressure on Tehran as Washington tried to keep Gulf allies from breaking ranks. The warning landed while Rubio was meeting regional leaders and trying to calm fears that the new U.S.-Iran framework could leave the Persian Gulf more exposed.

Rubio’s June 23 to 25 trip to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain was built around those anxieties. The State Department said he would discuss the memorandum of understanding with Iran, safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz and regional stability, three issues that sit at the center of Gulf concerns about the deal. That route remains one of the world’s most important oil shipping lanes, and any disruption would ripple far beyond the region.

The agreement has already drawn skepticism from Gulf capitals, where officials worry about Iran’s missile program, its support for proxy forces and the security of commercial shipping. Reuters reported that the accord includes a proposed $300 billion fund and some sanctions relief, and described it as the first agreement signed by an American and an Iranian president since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. The White House has framed it as a historic breakthrough, but regional reporting has said Gulf states are unlikely to rush to finance Iran’s proposed reconstruction package.

Rubio said the United States would not do anything that would undermine Gulf security, a line meant to reassure allies in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait City and across the Gulf Cooperation Council as they weigh how far to trust the deal. His meetings with leaders in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were aimed at selling the preliminary accord directly to those governments, many of which have been wary of U.S. concessions to Tehran.

The pressure campaign came with a visible security backdrop in Kuwait. The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait resumed operations on June 24 after services had been suspended in March following Iranian attacks. That reopening underscored how quickly the region’s diplomatic opening could be tested if the talks collapse or Iran continues to challenge Gulf shipping lanes and airspace.

Rubio’s message left the negotiations with a clear edge: Washington wants the deal to hold, but Trump is not signaling restraint if it does not.