Marco Rubio Grilled By Democrats: Why Is US Refusing Sanctions Relief To Reopen Crucial Oil Strait?

In his first public congressional testimony since the outbreak of the Iran war, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Washington will not grant sanctions relief merely to reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Rubio confirmed that backchannel negotiations are underway regarding Iran's deeply buried highly enriched uranium, marking an unprecedented shift in Tehran's diplomatic stance. Amid sharp questioning from Democratic Senator Chris Murphy over the blockade holding the global economy hostage, Rubio also hinted that Iran’s new Supreme Leader has vanished from public sight following recent military strikes.