US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed on Thursday that "no country is allowed to charge tolls or fees" in the Strait of Hormuz, assuring Gulf allies that any agreement with Iran would consider their interests.
"There is zero support from Gulf countries for tolls or fees on the Strait of Hormuz," said Rubio as he concluded his trip to west Asia to win over regional partners who have serious concerns about the preliminary agreement with Iran.
Speaking at a gathering of Gulf Arab foreign ministers in Bahrain, which is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, Rubio stated that Washington was looking for a lasting peace with longtime adversary Iran that would not jeopardise the security of allies in the oil-rich region, many of whom view the agreement as being too lenient after being attacked by Iran during the conflict.
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According to Rubio, he didn't talk about the $300 billion Iran reconstruction fund included in the peace plan. Gulf governments fear Iran would use the money to restore its military capacity, as reported by Reuters.
"A reconstruction fund for Iran was not discussed with Gulf countries," Rubio said at the live media conference in Manama. "We are just interested in whether ships are moving. If ships are not moving, that would be a direct violation of our agreement with Iran."
Since the US-Iran framework deal last week to terminate the crisis, which began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Rubio's three-day trip to the Gulf was the first high-level diplomatic mission.
Rubio attempted to reassure leaders during his earlier visits to Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates that the proposed agreement was not unduly advantageous to Iran, which had attacked many Gulf states during the conflict.
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