Rubio says US ready to negotiate with Iran as Hormuz attacks enter 11th night

BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is ready to negotiate with Iran but accused Tehran of not taking dialogue seriously, speaking at a meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers. Rubio warned that allowing Iran to control an international waterway and impose transit fees, including by blowing up vessels that refuse to pay, would set a precedent in other parts of the world, including the South China Sea. He said the Strait of Hormuz threats had turned the Red Sea into the main alternative route for millions of barrels of Saudi oil each day, noting that three Saudi crude carriers had diverted from the Red Sea because of threats from Iran-backed Houthis. U.S. Central Command said it had carried out a eleventh consecutive night of airstrikes against Iranian targets threatening commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM said the strikes hit military operation centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage and logistics infrastructure, further degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping. CENTCOM added that more than 30 commercial vessels had been attacked in the past three months and that since the start of May, around 900 commercial ships and 450 million barrels of crude oil had transited safely.