U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has called on China to intervene and stop Iran from potentially closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital oil shipping routes, warning of devastating global economic consequences.
Rubio’s comments, made during a Sunday interview with Fox
News, follow reports on Iran’s state-run Press TV that the country’s parliament
had approved a preliminary plan to block the Strait. The final decision, they
say, lies with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
“I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them
[Iran] about that, because they heavily depend on the Strait of Hormuz for
their oil,” Rubio said.
“If they [close it]… it will be economic suicide for them.
And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking
at that as well.”
The Strait of Hormuz handles approximately 20% of the
world’s oil shipments, with energy exporters across the Gulf relying on the
waterway to transport crude to international markets.
Any disruption could have immediate and far-reaching
consequences, especially for oil-importing nations in Asia.
Oil prices surged after the U.S. military joined Israeli
strikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend. Brent crude climbed to $78.89
a barrel late Sunday, its highest level since January.
“The U.S. is now positioned with an overwhelming defence
posture in the region to be prepared for any Iran counterattacks. But the risk
for oil prices is that the situation could escalate severely further,” said
Saul Kavonic, Head of Energy Research at MST Financial.
China, the largest buyer of Iranian oil, imported more than
1.8 million barrels per day last month, according to data from ship tracking
firm Vortexa.
Other Asian economies including India, Japan, and South
Korea also rely heavily on oil passing through the Strait.
Energy analyst Vandana Hari stated that closing the Strait
would likely backfire on Iran. “Iran risks turning its oil and gas producing
neighbours in the Gulf into enemies and invoking the ire of its key market
China by disrupting traffic in the Strait,” she said.
The renewed regional tensions come as the U.S. escalated its
role in the conflict, with President Donald Trump announcing the “obliteration”
of key Iranian nuclear facilities.
However, independent assessments of the damage remain
unclear, with the UN nuclear watchdog unable to access the Fordo facility to
verify Iran’s claims of minor damage.
In response, China criticized the U.S. strikes. Beijing’s UN
ambassador Fu Cong called for restraint and an immediate ceasefire, warning
against adding “fuel to the fire.”
State-run Global Times echoed this, saying U.S. involvement
“further complicated and destabilised the Middle East” and pushed the conflict
toward an “uncontrollable state.”
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