US Secretary of State Draws Up Plan B If Iran Refuses to Open the Strait of Hormuz

According to Al Jazeera, on Friday (22 May 2026), in remarks to reporters in Helsingborg, Sweden, Rubio said, ‘We must have a Plan B if someone shoots at the Strait of Hormuz.’ ‘At some point, ideally they would open the strait. The Plan B should include, how if Iran says, ’no, we refuse to open the Strait?’, he said. Rubio said countries including the US need ‘to do something about it’, but did not say whether he thought NATO should be involved. Rubio also repeated earlier comments about the status of talks, claiming that US negotiators are dealing with ‘difficult’ people. ‘There has been some progress - we haven’t gotten there yet, hopefully it will change, but maybe not,’ he said.