China says US, Israeli attacks on Iran the ‘root cause’ of Hormuz blockage

BEIJING: China said on Thursday that US and Israeli strikes on Iran were the “root cause” of the Strait of Hormuz blockage, after US President Donald Trump called on affected countries to seize the key waterway.
“The root cause of interruptions to navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is the United States and Israel’s illegal military operations against Iran,” Beijing’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference, when asked about Trump’s comments.
The US leader said on Wednesday that countries that receive oil through the Hormuz strait “must take care of that passage,” urging them to “just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves.”