U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed claims that China had provided Iran with targeting information, saying the country has been cooperative regarding freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
At a press conference following a meeting between Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Manila on Wednesday, the secretary of state was asked if China and Russia are “giving targeting information” to Iran.
“I’m not going to discuss that, other than to say that nothing China has done has in any way changed the trajectory of the—of what you’re seeing in terms of the conflicts we’re having with Iran,” Rubio said. “In some cases, they’ve actually been quite cooperative.”
He added that “they’ve been pretty clear that they don’t support any tolling or restrictions on global shipping through an international waterway. And a statement like that from a country like China is important.”
Rubio said the United States remains open to a negotiated settlement with Iran, but that the Islamic regime has demonstrated it cannot be trusted after violating the recent Memorandum of Understanding aimed at restoring free navigation through the waterway.
“We remain open to diplomacy,” Rubio said. “But they don’t seem to be serious about that. And so we’re going to continue to protect shipping.”
Rubio said the United States is also closely watching Houthi threats on shipping through the Red Sea.
“Again, Iran is in the middle of it,” he said. “Talk about the troublemaker in the region: It’s Iran.”
Rubio said Iran sent flights carrying “elements” of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps into Yemen, which has led to the current situation.
“The Houthis, Hezbollah, the militias in Iraq, Hamas—this is what Iran spends its money on. This. Not on its people,” he said. “It’s on supporting terrorist organizations and destabilizing actors in the region.”
