Asked about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that Washington is solely interested in vessels being able to traverse the waterway.

“We’ve reached a point now on this where you’re hearing, for example, the Iranians say one thing, and something else is actually happening,” he tells a press conference.

“Here’s what I would tell everybody: it is now obvious to us, and I think should be obvious to all of you that the Iranian system is going to continue to produce all sorts of maximalist rhetoric,” he adds.

Rubio adds that the US is “not interested in press conferences” by the Iranians, but rather if vessels in the waterway are moving.

“If ships are moving as they should be moving, then that’s what we’re going to judge and that’s what we’re going to react to,” he states. “If, on the other hand, this rhetoric is backed by actual ships being threatened and ships not moving, it’s a violation of the agreement and we’re going to have a problem with it.”