U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his country was considering Turkish proposals for a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea to secure grain shipments. He made the remarks at a news conference on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Atlanta.
“We are studying the proposals that Türkiye presented to us a week or two ago, and we will continue to assess them. We want to achieve this. Even if it does not end the entire war, it could at least resolve one particular aspect of it,” Rubio said.

A crisis affecting Africa
Rubio noted renewed interest in the Black Sea to meet the world’s grain needs, saying Türkiye had previously made sustained efforts in this direction that resulted in an agreement that later collapsed. He stressed the urgency of the issue, particularly for Africa, and the need not to overlook its energy dimension, without setting a date for a possible agreement.
Iran: Diplomacy first, military option remains
Regarding Iran, Rubio said President Donald Trump had chosen to resolve problems with Tehran through diplomatic means, but was confident that the United States had the capacity to intervene militarily if necessary. He added that U.S. Central Command continued to protect commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and was shooting down drones or missiles targeting them almost daily.

Rubio explained that dialogue with Iran had not been completely severed, taking place directly at times and mostly through intermediaries. He accused Tehran of being behind instability in the region and of supporting Hezbollah and the Houthis.