Strait of Hormuz: US urges China to stop Iran from blocking critical shipping lane
Analysts have said Iran may opt to retaliate to Washington's early Sunday attack by shutting the Strait, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes
This handout natural-colour image acquired with MODIS on NASAís Terra satellite, the Strait of Hormuz (L) and the northern coast of Oman (bottom). US urges China to stop Iran from blocking critical shipping lane.
Image: NASA Earth Observatory / AFP
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged China Sunday to help deter Iran from shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial trade route, following American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
"I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that because they heavily depend on the Strait of Hormuz for their oil," Rubio said on Fox News.
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Analysts have said Iran may opt to retaliate to Washington's early Sunday attack by shutting the Strait, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes.
"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," Rubio added.
"But other countries should be looking at that as well, it would hurt other countries' economies a lot worse than ours. It would be, I think, a massive escalation that would merit a response. Not just by us but from others," he said.
