US Urges China to Help Deter Iran from Shutting Key Trade Route
As tensions rise in the Middle East, US Urges China to take action to stop Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. On Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized on Fox News how much China depends on oil shipments that pass through the Strait, urging Beijing to engage Tehran through diplomatic channels.
“ Rubio said, “I urge the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that because the Chinese get a lot of their oil from the Strait of Hormuz.” The US launched targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities just hours before he spoke. This has made people more afraid of a larger conflict in the region.
About twenty percent of the world’s oil supply goes through the Strait of Hormuz, making it an important chokepoint. Any problem here could send shockwaves through economies and energy markets around the world. Analysts say that Iran may try to block the Strait as a response to the recent US strikes, which would make things a lot worse.
“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 warned, underlining the severe consequences such a move would have for Iran itself.
Global Economic Impact
Rubio stressed that closing the Strait would have a much bigger effect on economies around the world, especially those of countries like China that depend a lot on oil from the Middle East. He also said, “Other countries should look at that as well; it would hurt their economies a lot more than ours.” “I believe it would be a huge escalation that needs a response.” Not just us, but also other people.
Even though Washington wants China to be more diplomatic, things are still very tense on the ground. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s advisor said that US military bases in the area could become “legitimate targets” for Iran’s armed forces. This made the situation even more dangerous.
At the same time, China, along with Russia and a number of Arab states, has spoken out against the US strikes, saying that they are making the Middle East less stable. In a joint statement, Beijing and Washington said they were worried that the attacks would make things worse and asked everyone to be calm.
As things stand, everyone is still waiting to see if diplomatic efforts, including those led by China, can stop a full-blown crisis in the region.
