U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that Washington was expecting a response from Iran to its proposals for a deal to end the war. Rubio made the remarks to reporters during a visit to Rome, expressing hope that Tehran’s reply would open a serious negotiating process.

What did Rubio say about the Iran peace proposal?

Rubio said the U.S. was awaiting Iran’s response to its peace proposal on Friday. “We’re expecting a response from them today at some point. I hope it’s a serious offer, I really do,” he told reporters. He added that the goal was to enter a genuine negotiation process that could bring the conflict to an end.

Why did Rubio call Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz unacceptable?

Rubio also criticized reports that Iran had created an authority to approve transit through the Strait of Hormuz. He called the move an attempt to assert control over an international waterway, describing it as something Iran was trying to normalize. “That’s an unacceptable thing,” he said.

The strait was largely closed by Iran following the start of the war, which began with U.S.-Israeli attacks on February 28. The U.S. later imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports, further restricting the critical shipping route.

How did the Hormuz clash affect markets and ceasefire prospects?

Markets had recovered earlier in the week on hopes that a Pakistani-mediated peace process would extend the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, which began on April 8. Those gains reversed on Friday after an exchange of fire between Iranian and U.S. forces in the Strait of Hormuz. The incident renewed fears that fighting could delay or derail the reopening of the route.

Rubio said U.S. forces had responded only after coming under Iranian fire. “We didn’t fire, they fired on us,” he said. Iran’s central military command offered a different account, saying the clash began when U.S. vessels targeted an Iranian civilian tanker heading toward the strait, and accused U.S. forces of striking civilian areas.