US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that Iran’s recent demands to control and collect tolls from vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz threaten the global economy and violate the fundamental principle of freedom of navigation.
Speaking at a summit in Manila, Rubio stressed that the US will do what is necessary to protect international trade interests if diplomacy fails. The warning follows severe regional escalations that recently forced three oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to Asia to reverse their course in the Red Sea due to ongoing maritime threats.
