Rubio: US won’t allow Iranian control of Strait of Hormuz
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the US will not tolerate attempts by Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz, citing threats to global navigation and trade. Speaking at an ASEAN conference, Rubio emphasized that such actions set a dangerous precedent for international commerce.
Why it matters
The statement highlights the US commitment to maintaining freedom of navigation in critical global waterways and signals a firm stance against Iranian regional influence.
MANILA, Philippines - Washington will not allow a nation to control an international waterway to threaten freedom of navigation and set a "dangerous" precedent in the Strait of Hormuz and in other parts of the world, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a gathering of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministers yesterday.
Speaking at the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference, Rubio said a threat to freedom of navigation is also a threat to global economy.
The US, he said, is always willing to engage, negotiate and settle differences with Iran but Tehran has not kept its commitments in agreements.
"At its core, it's very simple. Iran demands the right, which they do not have under any existing legal mechanism, to control the transit of traffic through the Straits of Hormuz," Rubio said.
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