US secretary of state Marco Rubio said 'crippling' sanctions were pushing Iran’s economy towards conditions seen in few countries worldwide. (EPA Images pic)

ATHENS: Iran has "lost complete control" of the Strait of Hormuz, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Wednesday, adding that Tehran's economy was "in total and complete freefall".

"The Straits of Hormuz are open. There's almost as much oil flowing out now as there was before this conflict began. So they've lost complete control of the Straits," Rubio told reporters during a visit to Athens.

He argued that as a result of "crippling" sanctions, the Iranian economy was "about to reach a place few countries in the world have been".

Every dollar received by the "radical Shia clerics" is spent on Hezbollah and Hamas, he said.