US Still Willing to Negotiate Over Iran Crisis

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that his country is willing to negotiate an end to the Iran crisis, but believes Tehran is not serious about talks. This comes as the conflict has disrupted two critical energy chokepoints: the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.

Rubio made these comments at a meeting with Southeast Asian foreign ministers, following a day where three oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to Asia reversed course in the Red Sea due to threats from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis.

The Houthi naval blockade on Saudi Arabia has opened up a new front in the war, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks on Iran. The conflict has already killed thousands of people across the Gulf.