America’s top diplomat stresses the need for an alternative if Iran refuses to give up control of the channel and enforces tolls
A proposed mission by the UK and France to secure the Strait of Hormuz is for “when no one is shooting”, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said as he stressed the need for a “plan B” to reopen the waterway if Iran continues to threaten vessels.
While America’s top diplomat said he hoped a deal was reached with Tehran to ensure free passage through the sea route, he stressed the need for a fallback if Iran refused to give up control of the channel and enforced tolls.
In this scenario, “then someone’s going to have to go in and do something about it”, argued Mr Rubio.
He was speaking at a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Sweden, against the backdrop of the Iran conflict, which has fuelled frictions within the military alliance.
Donald Trump has been scathing over Britain’s reluctance to be drawn into the war, accusing Sir Keir Starmer of being weak and deriding the Royal Navy.
The Prime Minister refused to give the US free rein in its use of British military bases to carry out attacks against Iran, with permission limited to defensive strikes on missile sites.
There have also been tensions over the response of the UK and other countries to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, which was open to shipping prior to the US and Israel offensive against Iran.
Tehran’s stranglehold on the Gulf waterway has shocked economies around the world, including the UK’s, and seen a spike in oil prices.
Washington has previously argued Europe needs the sea route “much more than we do” and ensuring free transit of vessels was “much more their fight than ours”.
Plans being led by Britain and France to protect shipping in the channel once hostilities end have also faced US criticism.
The proposed future defensive mission would see the UK deploy autonomous mine-hunting equipment, anti-drone systems and Typhoon jets, alongside the destroyer HMS Dragon.
Speaking at the meeting in the Swedish city of Helsingborg, Mr Rubio said: “We all would love to see an agreement with Iran in which the straits are open and they abandon their nuclear weapons ambitions.
“That’s what we would all hope for and that’s what we’re going to continue to work on and that work is ongoing.
“But we also have to have a plan B. And plan B is what if Iran refuses to open the straits?
“What if Iran decides we refuse to open the straits, we’re going to own the straits, and we’re going to charge tolls for it?
“At that point, something has to be done about it. And I would argue that there are countries represented here today that are more deeply impacted by this than even the United States is.”
He added: “So, all I’m saying, and have said, and I think this has been reiterated by others, there are other countries that agree with me on this, is that we have to start thinking about what do we do if a few weeks from now Iran decides we don’t care, we’re going to keep the straits closed, we’re going to sink any ship that doesn’t listen to us or doesn’t pay us.
“Then someone’s going to have to do something about it.
“They’re not just going to voluntarily reopen the straits in that scenario. So we have to start thinking about it. I raised that point today. I got a lot of nods, I got a lot of people that came up to me afterwards and acknowledged it.”
Mr Rubio went on: “I know there’s a plan in place for what to do if the shooting stops.
“It’s what the French-UK initiative talks about when the conditions are set. Well, what they mean by when the conditions are set is when no one is shooting.
“But we have to have a plan B for if someone is shooting, how do you reopen the straits?
“So I made that point today. I don’t know if that would be a Nato mission, necessarily, but it would certainly be Nato countries that can contribute to it.”
If Iran did reopen the strait, then mines would have to be cleared and “that’s the utility of the UK-French mechanism”, said Mr Rubio.
He added: “But I’m saying plan B needs to be what if Iran says no, we refuse to open the straits, then someone’s going to have to go in and do something about it.
“I just raised the issue that this is something we may need to confront at some point. Again, if we can’t get an agreement done, we’d prefer to get an agreement done.”
Iran has demanded the right to collect the tolls as a precondition for reopening the waterway, which is critical for oil and gas supplies.
The UK Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.
