Below are the latest developments on the Iran war and the wider Middle East on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday warned that Iranian tolls on ships passing the Strait of Hormuz would risk "total chaos" as it could spread to other waterways.
"International waterways do not belong to any nation-state. This is a foundational principle in the world today, without which the world would be in total chaos," he told a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Bahrain.
"If, in fact, we accepted that you can charge money to use an international waterway because it happens to be near your territorial space, well then, this will spread throughout the world like a contagion," he added.
Rubio is on a three-nation tour of Gulf countries — his first regional tour since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last week to work toward a permanent end to the Middle East war.
Tehran has on more than one occasion floated the idea that the Strait of Hormuz should be controlled by countries in the region, including Gulf nations, who could potentially collect fees from vessels passing through it.
The top US diplomat also said that Washington wants a peace deal with Tehran but not "at any price."
"While we want a deal, we don't want a deal at any price," he said. "We want a deal that's good, we want a deal that's real, we want a deal that's verifiable, and we want a deal that's adhered to."
Rubio also sought to reassure the Gulf allies that their interests would be taken into account.
"We want to ensure... that there is no part of this deal that's undertaken that in any way undermines the security, the stability, or the prosperity of any of our partners in the Gulf region," he said.
In response to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which began on February 28, Tehran launched missiles and drones at Gulf states hosting US military bases, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain — all three countries on Rubio's regional tour.
Thank you for joining DW as we track the latest developments in the Iran war.
Today, we will be following US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he meets Bahraini officials in Manama, the final stop on his Middle East tour.
Rubio is seeking to reassure US allies in the Gulf states, which were targeted by Tehran's missiles and drones during the conflict, that Washington would protect their interests.
His visit comes as Iran tries to push for what it has framed as regional control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which potentially involves charging vessels that use the critical waterway.
Throughout the day, we will bring you the latest updates, video reports and expert analysis on the situation across the Middle East.
(Disclaimer: This report first appeared on Deutsche Welle, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.)
