By Jack Kim and Kyu-seok Shim SEOUL, March 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a phone call with his South Korean counterpart on Monday that cooperation among countries to secure the Strait of Hormuz is more important than ever to stabilise the global economy and oil prices,

The White House believes tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz will increase before Navy escorts are deployed, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the country has not "asked for a ceasefire" after Trump said it had wanted a deal.

Midwest slammed by record-shattering blizzard; TSA callout rate surges as DHS shutdown continues; Trump urges allies to help escort ships through Strait of Hormuz; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

The Strait of Hormuz, the world's most critical chokepoint for oil shipments, has been effectively closed since the U.S. and Israel began the war on Iran.

Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports on U.S. Central Command strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island and the Pentagon deploying additional sailors and Marines to the Middle East on ‘Special Report.