WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on China to encourage Iran to not shut down the Strait of Hormuz after Washington carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Rubio’s comments on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo” show came after Iran’s Press TV reported that the Iranian parliament approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 per cent of global oil and gas flows.
“I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,” said Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser.
“If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It’s economic suicide for them if they do it. And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries’ economies a lot worse than ours,” Rubio added according to Reuters.
Rubio said a move to close the strait would be a massive escalation that would merit a response from the United States and others.
Asked for comment on Rubio’s remarks, the Chinese embassy in Washington said the Gulf and its adjacent waters were important for international trade in goods and energy.
“China calls upon the global community to intensify efforts to de-escalate conflicts and prevent regional turbulence from causing further disruptions to global economic development,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a written statement.
U.S. officials said it “obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites using 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft. The strikes mark an escalation in the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict.
Tehran has vowed to defend itself. Rubio Sunday warned against retaliation, saying such an action would be “the worst mistake they’ve ever made.”
He added that the United States is prepared to talk with Iran.
