Rubio says US won’t allow Iran to control access through Strait of Hormuz

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington will not accept any attempt by Iran to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz.

In an interview with Fox News, Rubio stressed that the United States could not tolerate a situation in which Iran regulates the passage of vessels through the strategically vital waterway or imposes its own charges for its use.

According to Rubio, allowing such a system would turn an international maritime corridor into an instrument of political pressure.

He warned that keeping the strait “open” could not mean that Tehran would be able to establish a permissions regime or threaten ships passing through the route.

“Their attempts to normalise such a system cannot be accepted, and we cannot tolerate efforts to make it seem normal for Iran to decide who may use an international passage and how much they must pay for that access,” Rubio said.