US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday the United States is still willing to negotiate an end to the Iran crisis but Tehran is not serious about talks.
Rubio made his comments in a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers in the Philippine capital, Manila.
Rubio said Washington was "always committed to diplomacy" but doubted whether Tehran was equally committed to negotiations.
"The problem we're having right now is that they're not serious about talks. If they're serious, we're serious. If they're not, then we will do what's necessary to protect our interests, and also the interests of our allies," Rubio said.
He stressed that Iran could not be allowed to control the Strait of Hormuz, arguing it would create a dangerous precedent for the world.
"If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and if you don't pay them blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent, which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region," Rubio said.
The US resumed its direct military strikes against Iran following the collapse of a temporary ceasefire agreement reached last April.
