The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged China to intervene and prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route, following a report of Iranian parliamentary approval for such a move.

• Approximately 20% of the world’s oil transits through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Marco Rubio emphasized that closing the strait would harm the economies of many countries, including China, which imports over 1.8 million barrels of oil from Iran daily.
• Global oil prices surged to $78.89 a barrel after US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites escalated tensions in the region.