MOSCOW (Reuters) - Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz was open for Russia.
"It is open for us," said Ushakov, speaking on Russian state TV channel Vesti, Interfax news agency reported.
The US-Israeli war against Iran has all but halted shipments of about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas through the strait, causing oil supply disruption and soaring prices.
At the end of March, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that it opposed Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, but added that the situation must be viewed "in the context of the broader global situation."
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Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said it would be unrealistic to launch a military operation to force open the Strait of Hormuz, after US President Donald Trump challenged US allies to work towards reopening it.
“Some people defend the idea of freeing the Strait of Hormuz by force via a military operation, a position sometimes expressed by the United States, although it has varied,” Macron told reporters during a trip to South Korea.
“This was never the option we have supported because it is unrealistic,” he added.
“It would take forever, and would expose all those who go through the Strait to risks from the guardians of the revolution but also ballistic missiles,” he said.