The Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated this Thursday that the security of the Strait of Hormuz is not an exclusive responsibility of Washington, but of the entire world, arguing that very little American energy passes through that maritime route. The statement was published by the Department of State on its official Twitter/X account and came in response to a question about whether the G7 should assist the United States in the crisis.
"It's not help for us. Like I said, very little of our energy comes through the Straits of Hormuz. It's the world that has a great interest in that. And so they should step up and deal with it," stated Rubio.
The position of the Secretary of State is based on concrete data: The United States only depends on 7% of its crude oil imports from the Strait of Hormuz, which is equivalent to 2% of its total oil consumption, due to domestic production of 13.6 million barrels per day. In contrast, 84% of the crude oil that passes through Hormuz goes to Asian markets, and Europe receives between 12% and 14% of its liquefied natural gas from Qatar via that same route.
The crisis unfolded on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran, destroying more than 9,000 Iranian military targets, including its navy and air force, and resulting in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran responded with Operation True Promise 4, launching over 500 missiles and 2,000 drones against Israel and 27 U.S. bases in the region.
On March 19, Iran closed the strait using mines, drones, and missiles, attacking over 20 commercial vessels and leaving about 2,000 ships stranded with 20,000 sailors on board. Washington immediately launched a air campaign to reopen the strait, destroying more than 130 Iranian vessels and 44 mine layers. The prices of oil and natural gas continued to rise, with Brent surpassing 100 dollars per barrel, an increase of between 40% and 50% since the onset of the conflict.
This position taken by Rubio is consistent with the stance that the Trump administration has maintained since the onset of the crisis. On March 17, the Secretary of State called his counterparts in Japan and South Korea to request the deployment of military ships to the strait, following direct instructions from the president. Leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan issued a joint statement condemning the Iranian blockade and expressing their readiness to contribute to efforts for safe passage.
By the end of this Thursday, negotiations with Iran remained unresolved. Trump had postponed his ultimatum by five days —which demanded that Iran reopen the strait within 48 hours under the threat of attacking Iranian power plants— following what he described as "positive" indirect discussions with Tehran through third parties. Iran, for its part, denied any agreement and adopted a strategy of selective blockade, allowing passage only to countries that expelled the ambassadors of the United States and Israel.
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