U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on Wednesday in Athens that Iran has lost complete control of the Strait of Hormuz, pointing to oil export flows nearing pre-war levels. The assessment comes amid stalled diplomatic talks, ongoing commercial tanker incidents, and differing demands over Tehran’s nuclear enrichment program.
Marco Rubio Declares Iran Has Lost Complete Control of the Strait of Hormuz
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Athens on October 7, 2026, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted that Iran had lost complete control of the critical maritime chokepoint. Rubio stated that commercial traffic through the waterway remains open and operating near pre-conflict volume.
The Straits of Hormuz are open. There’s almost as much oil flowing out now as there was before this conflict began. So they’ve lost complete control of the Straits.
Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, via Voz
Agence France-Presse reported that Kpler’s ship-tracking figures reveal Iranian oil shipments dropped sharply from 1.85 million barrels a day during the spring down to approximately 255,000 barrels in August, whereas shipments originating from other Gulf nations bounced back to reach 8.4 million barrels per day by September. Cargoes have rebounded significantly from a summer trough where Iranian loadings hit zero in September, marking the first time exports completely stopped since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Ahead of the annual meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Singapore, International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva pointed out that elevated energy costs are likely to endure for a prolonged period even if the Gulf conflict ceases in the near future. Middle Eastern petroleum producers are actively working to set up alternative transport networks to deliver their supplies to the global market. Following two distinct strikes by the Iran-linked Houthi movement in Yemen targeting Saudi airports on Wednesday, energy markets saw an upward movement. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, rose 0.64% to $101.23, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures climbed 0.21% to $89.63.
Tehran Maintains Its Position While Regional Energy Pressures Persist
Meanwhile, commercial vessels traveling through the region continue to rely on military protection to cross the critical waterway.
Energy markets have reacted to the persistent shipping risks and recent regional attacks. Amid ongoing shipping hazards in the Strait of Hormuz and signs of a rebound in Middle Eastern petroleum shipments, Brent crude hovered near the $100-per-barrel mark on Tuesday, influencing overall price trends. Brent was trading at $100.06 per barrel, down 0.25% as of 4:35 p.m.
Stalled Nuclear Diplomacy and U.S. Demands on Uranium Enrichment
Diplomatic efforts to end the seven-month conflict remain deadlocked over nuclear terms. Rubio stated during his diplomatic tour that Iran has failed to take advantage of multiple opportunities to reach a settlement. Echoing those requirements, Vice President J.D. Vance told Reuters that any lasting agreement must include a meaningful reduction in uranium enrichment capacity.
If you don’t want a nuclear weapon, then why do you need 60 per cent enriched fuel? And if you want to show commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, don’t build highly enriched fuel. That’s a very basic threshold issue.
J.D. Vance, U.S. Vice President, via International Business Times
During a Reuters interview, Vance emphasized that Washington would reject any promises of future cutbacks, insisting instead that Tehran demonstrate verifiable measures regarding its enrichment activities. Over the past few weeks, Tehran and Washington have passed proposals back and forth with the objective of resolving the hostilities and organizing the governance of the vital shipping lane. U.S. President Donald Trump remains steadfast in his goal to block Iran from obtaining atomic weaponry, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cautioned, adding that Tehran must decide between abandoning its nuclear aspirations or confronting additional measures from the United States. When asked to clarify the administration’s message to Tehran, Hegseth stated: As we’ve stated from the beginning, Iran will never have a nuclear bomb. Full stop.
A senior Iranian official involved in indirect talks told Reuters that U.S. proposals remain at odds with Tehran’s red lines, asserting that Iran will never give up its right to enrich, though technical details could be discussed later. President Donald Trump last week denied pitching sanctions relief to Iran in exchange for nuclear concessions, stating in an interview with TIME Magazine that the U.S. created peace in the world
by annihilating Iran.
With Iran, I don't think you could ever have peace,
Trump added, noting that the regime killed 75,000 people in the last number of months to quash protests and describing a bloodbath where people are afraid of being killed in the street.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that talks with the U.S. are meaningless after the latest round of talks failed to yield results, noting that Washington has attacked Iran three times after talks, showing they are not seeking dialogue.
Economic Strain and International Security Cooperation in Athens
Rubio attributed Iran’s economic struggles to crippling American sanctions, describing the national economy as being in a total and complete free fall. Mohsen Paknejad, who has held the position of oil minister since August 2024, reportedly submitted his resignation recently amid severe and unprecedented difficulties facing the country’s petroleum sector, according to broadcasts by Iranian state television.
Gerapetritis indicated that Greece could provide maritime support in the Strait of Hormuz if a viable peace process is established.