Atlanta [US], October 31 : US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday stated India and Turkey have proposed ideas for vessels carrying grain to pass the Black Sea amid strikes in the wake of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
As Rubio hosted the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta, speaking to the press, he said that passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is even more challenging. He noted that the US has received limited cooperation in Hormuz despite President Donald Trump’s call to join Washington’s efforts in the region.
Rubio said, “When you talk about the Black Sea, you saw a lot of countries speak up and express their willingness to contribute. Both Turkey and India have come to the table with some ideas about how we can get grain shipments moving because this is threatening global food security and, to some extent, energy security as well.”
“In the case of the Strait of Hormuz, it's more challenging, because many countries around the world don't have the ability to project power in the region. The President has repeatedly asked countries to join us in the effort to protect global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. So far, we've had very limited cooperation, but not much. The responsibility has primarily fallen on the United States to protect shipping,” he added.
Further, he also took note of territorial claims on waterways in the Indo-Pacific region as a maritime challenge in the region.
He said, “Obviously, in the Indo-Pacific, we don't have active kinetic operations taking place like those we're seeing in the Strait of Hormuz or even in the Black Sea. But we do face some challenges, including territorial claims that we do not recognise. That's why you see us not only maintaining a presence in that part of the world but also operating jointly and cooperatively with our partners to continue making it clear that we do not accept illegitimate territorial claims over waterways that are either international waters or not the territorial waters of any single nation.”
US and Iran have exchanged strikes amid a “blockade” in the strategic waterways of the Strait of Hormuz. While Iran continues to strike commercial vehicles, the United States reportedly struck two fishing boats off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, injuring two Iranian fishermen.
As reported by the news agency IRNA, the two fishermen who went missing after the drone attack have been found, according to the CEO of the Qeshm Fishing Community. Both were sent back to Qeshm Island. Meanwhile, one of the two injured fishermen was taken to a hospital, Al Jazeera reported, citing Fars news agency.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan noted that the situation in the Black Sea is on the agenda for the meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Even the Quad Foreign Ministers on Saturday called for preserving navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait against the backdrop of tensions in West Asia.