US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran had lost ‘complete control’ of the Strait of Hormuz in Athens on Wednesday, as Greece signalled it was ready to join further operations to keep shipping moving through the Gulf.
Speaking alongside Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis in Athens, Rubio said oil flows through the strategic waterway had returned to almost pre-conflict levels and predicted Iran’s economy would deteriorate further.
“I’m happy that for the first time, even the media and the US is beginning to cover what a bad situation Iran faces. The Straits of Hormuz are open. There’s almost as much oil flowing out now as there was before this conflict began,” Rubio said.
“So they’ve lost complete control of the Straits and their economy. And it’s not only that they are in free fall now, the Iranian economy is about to reach a place that few countries in the world have been in terms of how bad it’s going to get.”
Asked whether Washington could accept any Iranian uranium enrichment capacity, Rubio declined to discuss possible limits but reiterated the US position on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Simple, period, and end of story,” he said.
Gerapetritis was then asked whether Greece could support renewed US strikes on Iran from Souda Bay in Crete.
“If it is necessary to participate in additional operations, then in the framework of a greater operation that will be responsible for the smooth passage from the Gulf, it is obvious that Greece will once again be at the forefront,” he answered.
Rubio and Gerapetritis also announced a new memorandum of understanding establishing a joint US-Greek security programme to strengthen counterterrorism information sharing between their law enforcement agencies.
Source: Viory
