US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on China to influence Iran to prevent the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important sea routes in the world. About this informs BBC.
“I urge the Chinese government in Beijing to approach Iran about this, because they depend heavily on the Strait of Hormuz for their oil. If they close the Strait, it will be economic suicide for them. And we keep options to solve this problem, but other countries should also consider it. It will hurt other countries’ economies much more than ours.”, — noted Rubio.
His address came after a report by Iran’s state-run Press TV channel that the country’s parliament had backed a plan to block the strait. At the same time, the final decision rests with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Stopping oil supplies could seriously hit the global economy, including China, which is the largest importer of Iranian oil and has close economic ties to Tehran. Oil prices surged after US attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, with Brent hitting a five-month high.
Approximately 20% of the world’s oil exports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. This route is critically important for the energy supplying countries of the Middle East. Any disruption to shipping through the strait could cause a sharp jump in global oil prices.
According to Vortexa, China buys more than 1.8 million barrels of oil from Iran every day, making it the largest importer. Asia’s other major economies — India, Japan and South Korea — are also critically dependent on supplies passing through the strait.
