Brussels, Jan 19 (IANS) NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said that the strategic Strait of Hormuz, where most oil exports from the Gulf to the West pass, must remain open and called on Iran to behave responsibly, Xinhua reported.

“It is of utmost importance to make sure that energy supplies continue to flow through the vital waterway, the Strait of Hormuz…The Iranian authorities have a duty to act as responsible international actors and in accordance with the international law,” Rassmussen told reporters at NATO headquarters.

“But I’d also like to stress that NATO has no plans of intervention,” he told a press conference after meeting Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Brussels.

In recent days, some Iranian government and military officials have threatened that Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz if the West imposed sanctions targeting its oil exports.