US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that it was in the "interest" of all G7 nations to push for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz currently blocked by Iran.

"It's in their interest to help," Rubio said shortly before heading to France where he will attend a meeting of G7 foreign ministers outside Paris on Friday.

It is Rubio's first trip abroad since the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28.

ISTANBUL, March 26 (Reuters) - A marine drone struck a crude oil tanker that had departed Russia, causing an explosion in the Black Sea near Istanbul's Bosphorus strait on Thursday, Turkey's transportation minister said.

Turkey condemned the attack, which it said targeted a Turkish-operated vessel.

"The attack on the Sierra Leone-flagged, Turkish-operated tanker ALTURA carrying crude oil is of great concern," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said on X, adding that the 27 crew members were in good health.

By John Irish and Sudip Kar-Gupta

VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France, March 26 (Reuters) - France said its military chief held talks with around 35 countries on Thursday as it sought partners and proposals for a mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran ends.

The United States' Western allies have said they will not take part in the ongoing conflict. But the behind-the-scenes activity underscores concern that, after the fighting, Iran could continue to threaten the waterway which carries about a fifth of global oil supplies.

OSLO, March 26 (Reuters) - Norway's parliament on Thursday passed a bill to temporarily cut petrol and diesel taxes, easing soaring fuel costs in the wake of the war in the Middle East, which has driven up the price of oil.

A vote was scheduled at short notice following a proposal from the opposition Conservative Party, bypassing the traditional fiscal budget process that can take months to complete.

Business leaders are warning that the United States lacks the infrastructure to alleviate a global LNG shortage caused by the US-Israel war on Iran, which has kept a fifth of the world's energy supplies from leaving the Gulf.

US President Donald Trump's commitment to fossil fuels has been typified by his "Drill, baby, drill" mantra and policies that have sidelined renewable energy.

At the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston this week, however, energy leaders said the US LNG industry has the reserves but not the capacity to quickly expand production.

By Parisa Hafezi and Angus McDowall

March 26 (Reuters) - The debate among Iranian hardliners over whether Tehran should seek a nuclear bomb in defiance of an escalating U.S.-Israeli attack is getting louder, more public and more insistent, sources in the country say.

With the Revolutionary Guards now dominant following the killing of veteran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the war on February 28, hardline views on Iran's nuclear approach are in the ascendant, two senior Iranian sources said.

MADRID, March 26 (Reuters) - The Iranian embassy in Spain said on Thursday on X that Spain respects international law and therefore Iran would be receptive to any request from Madrid related to the Strait of Hormuz.

"BREAKING NEWS: Iran considers Spain a country committed to international law, so it shows receptiveness to any request coming from Madrid.#StraitofHormuz," the post on X read.

WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that Iran let ten oil tankers transit the Strait of Hormuz as a goodwill gesture in negotiations, including some Pakistan-flagged vessels.

Trump made the comments at a Cabinet meeting in the White House, elaborating on what he had previously described as a "present" from Iran.

By Emma Farge

GENEVA, March 26 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization is finding other routes to deliver emergency medical supplies from its Dubai hub to crises such as Lebanon via long overland journeys, an official said, but rising fuel costs could hamper shipments if the Iran war persists.

The global health body's aid shipments from the United Arab Emirates were previously completely frozen as air, sea and land routes were restricted by the Iran conflict, which began on February 28 with U.S.-Israeli air strikes.

Here are facts and figures about the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a crucial passage into the Red Sea that Iran has threatened to target if US forces launch a ground assault on its territory.

- Gateway to Red Sea -

Known as the "Gate of Tears" in Arabic, the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb is a narrow waterway at the southern tip of the Red Sea, connecting it with the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean.

About 100 kilometres (62 miles) long and 30 kilometres (18 miles) wide, it separates Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula from Djibouti and Eritrea on the Horn of Africa.