Washington DC - Secretary of State Marco Rubio will begin a trip to three Gulf countries on Tuesday amid negotiations with Iran to end the war in the Middle East, his spokesperson said.

In his first trip to the region since the US and Israel started the war on February 28, Rubio will visit the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

The trip is scheduled to run through Thursday.

Rubio will discuss "the memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure full and free safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and the importance of peace and stability in the region," the statement said.

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In Bahrain on Thursday, Rubio will also meet with the Gulf Cooperation Council to discuss common priorities with the region.

Rubio will have a difficult task restoring trust with the Gulf states, which have been targeted by Iran in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes.

Iran has accused Kuwait and Bahrain, host of the US Fifth Fleet, of allowing the US to use their territories to launch attacks.

Vice President JD Vance was in Switzerland on Sunday to hammer out an agreement with Iranian officials based on the memorandum of understanding, which gives negotiators 60 days to forge an agreement.

The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz – which Iran has effectively blocked and through which about 20% of the world's oil flows – is one of the key points of the memorandum of understanding.