Top US, German diplomats discuss Strait of Hormuz, NATO 'burden shifting'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Monday to coordinate on global security issues and NATO reforms.

The two top diplomats "reiterated the shared US-Germany commitment to upholding safe transit in the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring Iran never develops or obtains a nuclear weapon," US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

The high-level talks in Washington, DC, follow recent diplomatic efforts to finalize a peace deal between the US and Iran.

The diplomats reviewed the upcoming NATO Summit, scheduled for July 7–8 in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Both officials emphasized the "importance of burden shifting" within the organization, a strategy intended to ensure European partners assume primary responsibility for their own conventional defense.

Rubio and Wadephul also reaffirmed their "unwavering support" for achieving a "durable peace" between Russia and Ukraine.