U.S. Accuses Iran of Violating Strait of Hormuz Deal Amid Continued Strikes

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday accused Iran of not honoring the Strait of Hormuz deal, while reiterating that Washington was "committed to diplomacy" in the Middle East.

His comments come as U.S. Central Command hit Iranian targets for an 11th straight night, as it seeks to "continue degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."

Centcom said it had hit military operations centers, drone storage facilities, and military logistics infrastructure.

Speaking at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting in the Philippines, Rubio said that "the problem we're having right now is that they're not serious about talks. If they're serious, we're serious. If they're not, then we will do what is necessary to protect our interest and also the interest of our allies."

He added that a key sticking point between Teheran and Washington was that Iran "demands the right" to control traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a right it does not have under international law.

"If we create a precedent in the Middle East, where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and if you don't pay them, blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent, which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region," Rubio warned.

Rubio appeared to make a veiled reference to China, saying that "of all the regions in the world, the one I don't need to teach about the importance of freedom of navigation in international waterways, it is this region."

The U.S. Navy has in the past conducted "freedom of navigation" operations around disputed islands in the South China Sea, where several Southeast Asian countries have competing claims with China, whose "nine-dash line" claims almost all of the sea as its waters.

That is despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that said that China's claims has no basis under international law. China has refused to recognize that outcome.

Iran interpreted the text as recognizing a role for Tehran in managing traffic through the strait and potentially charging for maritime services after an initial 60-day period, but the U.S. maintained that the waterway must remain open without compulsory Iranian fees or restrictions.

Iran and Oman — which also border the Hormuz Strait — said in a joint June 23 statement that "All arrangements related to the Strait of Hormuz must fully respect the sovereignty and sovereign rights of the two Coastal States of the Strait."

The strikes on Iran are "consequences" for Tehran not keeping their word, he said, adding "If these consequences did not exist, then today we would be living in a world where the significant percentage of the energy supply of this region and 20% of the energy supply of the world is being held hostage by a nation state."