Manama, June 25 (SANA) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that any agreement with Iran would take the security interests of Gulf allies into account, during his first high-level visit to the Middle East since Washington and Tehran reached a preliminary agreement.
Speaking at a joint meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers and U.S. officials in Bahrain, Rubio said Washington is seeking “lasting peace” with Iran while ensuring that any agreement does not undermine the security or prosperity of its regional allies, Reuters reported.
Rubio said no country has the right to impose transit fees on the use of international waterways, reaffirming Washington’s opposition to such measures in any future agreement.
During visits to the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, Rubio said the proposed agreement would not disproportionately benefit Iran and stressed that the United States would not take any steps that weaken the security of its allies.
Earlier on Thursday, Rubio warned that allowing transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz could set a precedent for similar restrictions in other international waterways, undermining the principle of freedom of navigation.
The U.S. secretary of state began a Gulf tour on Tuesday that includes the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain to brief regional partners on the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran and discuss maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and regional stability.
F.J./M.Z.
