Rubio: Det är nödvändigt att åter öppna sundet även om Iran vägrar | NTD NYHETER

A plan B for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says countries need to be prepared to reopen the waterway, even if Iran refuses to cooperate. But we also have to have a plan B. And plan B is, what if Iran refuses to open the straits? What if Iran decides, we refuse to open the straits, we're going to own the straits, and we're going to charge tolls for it? Okay, at that point, something has to be done about it. And I would argue that there are countries represented here today that are more deeply impacted by this than even the United States is. So all I'm saying, and I've said, and I think this has been reiterated by others, there are other countries that agree with me on this, is that we have to start thinking about what do we do if a few weeks from now Iran decides we don't care, we're going to keep the straits closed, we're going to sink any ship that doesn't listen to us or doesn't pay us. Then someone's going to have to do something about it. The Secretary of State says some NATO allies today have expressed an interest in potentially being a part of a coalition to reopen the straits. The UK and France are leading an initiative to secure the Strait of Hormuz once shooting stops. But Rubio says NATO also needs to be ready to reopen the straits even if shooting doesn't stop. On the negotiations with Iran, Rubio says the U.S. has seen some progress. The administration is constant in communication with the Pakistani mediator. So I think there's been some progress, but I wouldn't, we're not there yet. And hopefully that'll change. It may not. Honestly, it may not. We're dealing with a very difficult group of people. And if it doesn't change, then the President's been clear, he has other options. He prefers the negotiated option and having a good deal. But he himself has expressed concern that maybe that's not possible. But we're going to keep trying. Rubio was speaking to reporters after a NATO meeting in Sweden. A forum of seven Arctic countries within NATO also had its own meeting. They are releasing a joint statement on Arctic security, saying they have agreed to deepen their dialogue on security challenges. The allies say the Arctic is quickly becoming a sphere of increasing geopolitical strategic importance. They specifically cite Russia's increased military activity and China's growing strategic interest in the region. I think there's a growing, although this is an effort that's pre-existed, I think there's a growing commitment to make it a regular part of our engagements as NATO is to focus on Arctic security for obvious reasons. We're an Arctic nation. We're always going to be focused on the Arctic. It's great to see that other countries are a part of this effort now and that it's going to play a more prominent role. The Arctic is going to play a more prominent role in NATO and in discussions around NATO. Rubio says the seven Arctic allies had a very positive foreign ministers meeting. He expects a leaders level meeting at some point as well. The Secretary of State praises Sweden, the newest member of NATO, for adding more capabilities to the alliance. The US and Sweden signed a memorandum of understanding today that further strengthens cooperation on biomedicine, biotechnology, and AI. The next summit of NATO leaders is scheduled for July in Ankara, Turkey. Rubio says his meeting today sets the stage for his upcoming meeting.