US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on China to prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important shipping routes.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called on China to encourage Iran to not shut down the Strait of Hormuz after Washington carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, in what would serve as another act of retaliation after the U.S. launched strikes on three key Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.