PARIS: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday he saw European readiness to help form a coalition against Iranian control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz after US-Israeli attacks unleashed a regional war.
Rubio joined top diplomats from the Group of Seven powers for talks as he assured them that the war launched a month ago would only continue for a matter of weeks.
He voiced alarm that Iran would seek to establish a permanent 'tolling system' for vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which one fifth of global oil normally transits.
'This is illegal, unacceptable, and dangerous to the world,' Rubio told reporters after the meeting in a historic abbey on the outskirts of Paris.
He said he had found 'a lot of buy-in' to opposing any Iranian tolling, with Britain taking a leading role.
The Strait of Hormuz was open to international shipping before the conflict, but has since ground to a standstill, leading to a surge in global energy prices.
Rubio said the opposition to tolling was part of planning for the immediate aftermath of the war, which has failed to dislodge the Islamic republic, despite the killing of top leaders.