The warning could not be clearer. Sen. Marco Rubio says he\u2019s \u201cnot popping champagne,\u201d even as quiet diplomacy races against a ticking clock in the Persian Gulf. Pakistan\u2019s army chief is flying into Tehran. The EU is sharpening sanctions. Iran is threatening a \u201ctoll\u201d on the world\u2019s oil lifeline. One misstep, one refusal, and Washington\u2019s mysterious \u201cPlan B\u201d ign\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rubio\u2019s caution masks a grim calculation: if Iran turns the Strait of Hormuz into a pay-to-pass chokepoint, the confrontation will not stay on paper. Nearly a fifth of the world\u2019s oil moves through that narrow waterway. Any effort to \u201ctax\u201d it, he warns, is not just provocative but \u201ccompletely illegal\u201d and a \u201cthreat to the world.\u201d Behind the careful phrasing lies a bipartisan understanding in Washington and European capitals that this is a red line, not a debating point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Pakistan shuttles messages between Washington and Tehran, and EU officials quietly target the architects of the blockade, the clock is running on diplomacy. Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Hezbollah\u2019s defiance, and Iran\u2019s new \u201cPersian Gulf Strait Authority\u201d all push the region closer to a dangerous edge. Trump may sound \u201ccautiously optimistic\u201d about a deal, but Rubio\u2019s talk of \u201cPlan B\u201d hangs over everything like a storm about to break<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The warning could not be clearer. Sen. Marco Rubio says he\u2019s \u201cnot popping champagne,\u201d even as quiet diplomacy races against a ticking clock in the Persian Gulf. Pakistan\u2019s army chief … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17139,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n