Marco Rubio

The contrast suggests that, even as the administration has emphasized unity, differing worldviews are at times rising to the surface, offering an early glimpse of the Republican Party’s future.

"It is vital to the US national interest to assist our ally in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability," the statement said.

During US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to the Gulf states this week, he made it clear that Iran would not be allowed to impose tolls on ships wishing to pass through the strait. 

Rubio was in the UAE and then Kuwait. The visits to Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE are important, as these countries were attacked by Iran during the latest conflict.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is seeking backing from Gulf Arab allies for the US-Iran peace deal on the highest-level diplomatic mission since the agreement to end the conflict last week.

Washington has used a combination of sanctions, terrorist designations, and rewards for information on militia leaders.

Arriving in Abu Dhabi late on Tuesday for a three-day Gulf trip, Rubio is undertaking his first high-level diplomatic mission on the agreement reached last week to end the four-month-old war.

As US-Lebanon talks continue in Washington, Rubio noted that "the future of Lebanon belongs to the Lebanese people through their sovereign, elected government."

The deal with Ghalibaf does not represent a transformation away from the regime. His function is precisely to offer Washington a “rational” interlocutor through whom the system can rebrand itself

Gulf Arab leaders are expected to press Marco Rubio over a draft Iran agreement they fear could reshape regional security and boost Tehran’s power.