JAKARTA - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was little progress regarding the situation in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
"There has been some progress. I don't want to exaggerate, but there has been some movement and that's a good thing," Rubio told reporters ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Rubio said the US's main principle remained unchanged, namely that Iran must not have nuclear weapons.
He said Washington was still waiting for the results of ongoing discussions on Iran, while stressing that the issue of uranium enrichment and Tehran's high-enriched uranium reserves must be resolved.
Rubio also accused Iran of trying to establish a "tax system" in the Strait of Hormuz and trying to invite Oman to join the initiative.
"No country in the world should accept that," Rubio said, calling the idea unacceptable.
He also warned that if this happened in the Strait of Hormuz, a similar situation could occur in other strategic areas of the world.
Rubio said the United States was working through the United Nations (UN), on a Bahrain-sponsored resolution, on the issue and was garnering broad international support.
"Let's see if the UN is still functioning," he said, criticizing the members of the UN Security Council who are said to be considering a veto against the resolution.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Ruttemengatakan meeting at the level of foreign ministers will discuss defense spending, the Ukraine issue, and freedom of navigation amid growing concerns about Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
"I hear from many colleagues that it is unacceptable if freedom of navigation is trampled on as it is currently happening," Rutte said.
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