Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the US will not allow Iran to use America’s economic situation as “leverage” to pressure President Donald Trump into making a “bad deal”.
“What [President Trump] is making clear is if the Iranians think that they are going to use our domestic politics to pressure him into a bad deal, that’s not going to happen,” he told NBC News on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Israel and Lebanon have continued to trade blows as representatives for the countries took part in a day of direct discussions in Washington on Thursday.
A senior US state department official said that talks had been “productive and positive” and will continue on Friday. Lebanon is to demand a ceasefire, according to a senior Lebanese official while Israel will push for Hezbollah to disarm. The militant group has condemned the talks.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday as Trump sought China’s backing in resolving the lingering crisis with peace talks to end the conflict still on hold. Rubio said China had agreed that the vital shipping route should not be militarised.
An unidentified ship was boarded by “unauthorised personnel” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, the British maritime security agency UKMTO reported.
Oil prices rise after attacks and seizures of ships crossing Hormuz
Oil prices rose this morning as market concerns persisted over ship attacks and seizures despite Iran saying about 30 vessels had passed through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US and Chinese presidents were set for a second day of talks in Beijing.
Brent crude oil futures rose 60 cents, or 0.57 per cent, to $106.32 a barrel by 0100 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate futures were up 54 cents, or 0.53 per cent, to $101.71.
Yang An, analyst at Haitong Futures, said the main driver of oil prices was still tight supply.
“Oil prices swung several times yesterday but still closed near the day’s high,” he said. “Ships passing through the strait eased some market concerns, but not enough to change the strong trend driven by tight supply.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar15 May 2026 04:17
Iran war briefing:
- President Donald Trump says he won’t be ‘much more patient’ with Iran as he urged Tehran to reach a deal with Washington
- US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has claimed that Chinese officials made clear at the US-China summit that it wants to see the Strait of Hormuz reopen without restrictions or tolls and that Beijing will act pragmatically to limit military support for Iran
- Secretary of state Marco Rubio has defended the war on Iran, claiming Tehran was building a massive missile and drone arsenal to eventually protect a nuclear weapons programme
- Oil prices rose today as market concerns persisted over ship attacks and seizures despite Iran saying about 30 vessels had passed through the Strait of Hormuz
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar15 May 2026 04:16