ATHENS, October 8. /TASS/. Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have reached nearly 80% of pre-Iran war levels, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with the Greek newspaper Kathimerini.

"Oil shipments via the southern route [of the Strait of Hormuz], which we cleared of mines, have already reached nearly 80% of pre-conflict levels. The only country unable to regularly ship oil from the Middle East is Iran, whose supplies have been completely blocked or halted by the blockade," Rubio asserted.

The US and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. However, on the night of July 8, the US resumed large-scale strikes on Iran, accusing it of violating the terms of the agreement regarding the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 25% of global oil trade and about 20% of liquefied natural gas trade pass. Subsequently, the US administration effectively signaled an end to the use of large-scale military force against Iran, shifting toward an attempt to economically strangle the country through sanctions.