US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Iran no longer controls the Strait of Hormuz, and that oil shipments through it have almost returned to pre-war levels.
He made the remarks during a visit to Greece, Euronews reports.
"The Strait of Hormuz is open. Almost as much oil is passing through it now as before the conflict began. So they have completely lost control of the strait," Rubio said.
He also said that any possible easing of sanctions against Iran must include Tehran’s unconditional renunciation of nuclear weapons.
"Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. It’s that simple: only that, full stop," the US Secretary of State stressed.
Rubio did not specify what conditions Washington would consider acceptable for reaching agreements with Iran. At the same time, he said that "they will never have a nuclear programme".
In Athens, Rubio is leading the US delegation at the sixth round of the US–Greece Strategic Dialogue.
- Transport of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz is close to pre-war levels, but this will not improve the situation with diesel. The share of petroleum product shipments currently stands at only 11% of the total volume. Before the war, it was 20%.