WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that any diplomatic agreement between the United States and Iran would become unfeasible if Tehran moved forward with plans to implement a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to reporters, Rubio strongly criticised the proposed system, saying it lacked international support and would violate international law.
“No one in the world is in favor of the tolling system. It can’t happen. It would be unacceptable. It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they were to continue to pursue that. So it’s a threat to the world if they were trying to do that, and it’s completely illegal,” Rubio said.
He also revealed that there had been some progress in ongoing talks with Tehran aimed at ending the US-Israeli war involving Iran, although he cautioned that Washington was dealing with what he described as a fragmented system inside Iran.
“There’s some good signs, I don’t want to be overly optimistic … So, let’s see what happens over the next few days,” he added.
Rubio further expressed hope that a visit by Pakistan’s army chief to Tehran would help advance diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
“I believe the Pakistanis will be traveling to Tehran today. So hopefully that’ll advance this further,” Rubio told reporters.
Also on Thursday, Rubio renewed criticism of NATO for what he described as insufficient support for the US campaign involving Iran, as he departed for alliance talks in Sweden.
He said President Donald Trump was not demanding direct military intervention from NATO allies but was disappointed by their unwillingness to provide broader support.
“President Donald Trump is not asking them to send their fighter jets in. But they refuse to do anything,” Rubio said. “We were very upset about that.”