US’ Rubio says ‘growing amount of energy’ flowing through Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Thursday that a “growing amount of energy” is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz as indirect contacts between the US and Iran show progress.

There are intermediary countries that are “passing messages, and progress has been made,” Rubio told reporters before he departed for the G7 foreign ministers meeting in France.

“There's a growing amount of energy that's been flowing through the straits, not as much as should be flowing, but some of it has picked up. There's been some progress in regards to the exchange of messages, but that's an ongoing and fluid process, and not one we're going to negotiate or talk about in the media,” he added.

Rubio said the Strait of Hormuz “can be open tomorrow if Iran stops threatening global shipping.”

“For all these countries that care about international law, they should be doing something about it,” he added.

Rubio will meet with Group of Seven foreign ministers in France on Friday for talks on Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Middle East situation stemming from the US-Israel war on Iran, the State Department said in a statement.