WASHINGTON: Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will reopen as soon as Iran ceases to pose a threat to international navigation, US Secret...
WASHINGTON: Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will reopen as soon as Iran ceases to pose a threat to international navigation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Thursday.
"It (the Strait of Hormuz — TASS) could be open tomorrow if Iran stops threatening global shipping," Rubio said, according to the State Department’s press service.
The US Secretary of State sidestepped a question regarding the possibility of a US ground operation to restore navigation in the strait.
The US and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were hit. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched retaliatory strikes against Israel and US military facilities in Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
Iranian authorities also decided to close the Strait of Hormuz to vessels linked to the US, Israel, and countries that supported the aggression against the Islamic Republic. During the conflict, several tankers were attacked for transiting the strait without Tehran's permission. On March 25, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that Iran had allowed friendly countries, including Russia, India, Iraq, China, and Pakistan, to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
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