Rubio's remarks came after Washington's top military officer said American forces remain ready to resume combat operations if ordered, as clashes in the vital waterway threatened to unravel a fragile ceasefire.

There was no immediate reaction from Tehran, where it was very early on Wednesday morning.

US forces are ready to resume combat operations against Iran if ordered, Washington’s top military officer said yesterday, as the Pentagon threatened a “devastating” response to Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the Hormuz strait.

German, French, British leaders press Tehran to resume negotiations

Iran would need around a year to build a weapon if leaders decided to pursue that path, sources say

The UAE, a close US ally and key Arab partner of Israel, said it came under a barrage of missiles and drones from Iran

Six Iranian fast boats destroyed; drones and cruise missiles intercepted

Tensions rose in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday as both the United States and Iran claimed attacks on vessels, with Donald Trump warning Iran that its forces would be “blown off the face of the earth” if they targeted US ships guiding vessels through the strait.

Iran military tells US Navy to steer clear

Military says foreign armed forces will be 'targeted and attacked' if they approach

Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, and Iran's stranglehold on the strategic strait following US-Israeli attacks on Tehran has been a main point of contention

President Donald Trump said Sunday that "very positive discussions" were underway with Iran on finding a solution to the war, but nevertheless added US forces will soon start escorting ships out of the blocked Strait of Hormuz

Donald Trump has said he is reviewing the latest peace proposal from Tehran, but cast doubt on the prospect of a diplomatic breakthrough by claiming Iran had not yet “paid a big enough price” for its past wrongs.

Iranian authorities plan to turn a bombsite at a university in central Iran into a museum about the impact of US-Israeli strikes, an official said

The UAE, one of the world's top producers, announced April 28 it was withdrawing from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the expanded OPEC+ group, after chafing at their production quotas. The withdrawal took effect on Friday.

Tehran had submitted a 14-point proposal to mediator Pakistan

Trump has said repeatedly that Iran can never ​have a nuclear weapon

Iran said yesterday that it was up to the United States whether to pursue a negotiated settlement or to return to open war, but that Tehran was ready for either outcome.

Exchange of proposals fails to ease standoff over nuclear programme and sanctions

Iran delivered the draft to mediator Pakistan on Thursday evening, the IRNA news agency reported, without detailing its contents