US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged European allies to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete action against Iran as it blocks the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reports.

Speaking after meetings with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Rubio has warned that Tehran is attempting to assert control over the strategic waterway, calling the move “unacceptable” and a threat to global security.

“Everybody says Iran is a threat. Everybody says that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon … but you’ve got to do something about it,” Rubio telss reporters in Rome. “If the answer is no … then you better have something more than just strongly worded statements to back it up.

“The world has to start asking itself, what is it willing to do if Iran tries to normalise control of an international waterway? I think that’s unacceptable.”