India, Australia, Japan and the US have announced their own energy security initiative amid a global fuel crisis sparked by the Iran war.A meeting of the so-called Quad grouping’s foreign ministers in Delhi was overshadowed by the Middle East conflict, which began on 28 February and promptly disrupted global maritime trade and rattled energy markets. Iran retaliated to the US-Israeli attacks by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital shipping routes for oil and gas.Australia’s Penny Wong, India's S Jaishankar, Japan's Toshimitsu Motegi and America’s Marco Rubio met on Tuesday morning just hours after the US military announced it had launched fresh strikes targeting an Iranian naval base in the Strait.After the meeting in the Indian capital, the Quad ministers issued a statement on Indo-Pacific energy security calling for “unimpeded freedom of navigation and uninterrupted flow of global commerce” through the Strait of Hormuz.The countries said they would maximise efforts to support each other’s energy security during energy crises or disruptions to global fuel supplies, and announced the formation of a separate Quad Fuel Security Forum. Mr Rubio said the US Department of Energy would host the gathering “later this year”... “to further expand on this”.Foreign ministers Penny Wong of Australia, S Jaishankar of India, Toshimitsu Motegi of Japan, and Marco Rubio of the US address a press conference after their meeting in Delhi on 26 May 2026 (AFP/Getty)Ms Wong referred to the “acute economic stress” triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.“We recognise the efforts of Secretary Rubio towards a diplomatic resolution to ensure freedom of navigation is restored,” she said. “We recognise the importance of maintaining the principle of freedom of navigation and our opposition to any tolling proposition,” the minister added. “The Quad is today taking forward a number of new initiatives, including an energy security initiative.”The ministers also agreed to start an Indo-Pacific maritime surveillance initiative aimed at integrating the monitoring capabilities of the allies and sharing near-real-time data on ship movements, including commercial vessels.Mr Rubio said the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Cooperation Initiative would leverage the allies’ capabilities to monitor regional waters. “Related to that is also the expansion of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative, which provides near-real-time commercial maritime awareness data to countries in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends the Quad ministerial meeting at Hyderabad House (Reuters)In what could be the Quad’s first joint infrastructure project, the allies also announced a plan to partner with Fiji on port development.Mr Rubio described the proposal as an “exciting” initiative, particularly in view of the insufficient port capacity of Pacific island nations.The decision to build infrastructure in Fiji – a strategically located Pacific nation where China, the US, Australia and New Zealand are all competing for influence – drew criticism from Beijing, which said it opposed “bloc confrontation”.China’s foreign ministry said regional cooperation should contribute to peace, stability and prosperity and not target third countries. “We also don’t support the formation of exclusive cliques or bloc confrontation. No cooperation should undermine mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries,” spokesperson Mao Ning said.Ahead of the meeting, Mr Rubio said Washington wanted the Quad to evolve from a forum for dialogue into one focused on concrete action. “We are deeply committed to this partnership,” he said. “It’s a linchpin and cornerstone of our global strategy as a nation,” he said.The Quad is widely seen as a counterweight to China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. Beijing previously criticised it as a Cold War-style construct aimed at containing the Asian giant’s rise.Policy experts feared the grouping was losing momentum last year after it failed to hold a summit of leaders amid tensions between Donald Trump and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi over tariffs and other disputes.Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi with US secretary of state Marco Rubio in Delhi, India, on 26 May 2026 (Reuters)“The absence of a leaders’ summit has raised some doubts, but that doesn’t necessarily indicate declining importance,” said Premesha Saha, policy fellow at Asia Society Australia in Melbourne.“If the Quad can continue delivering at the ministerial and working levels, it can remain relevant even without regular leader-level signalling.”Mr Jaishankar described Tuesday’s meeting as “substantive and productive”. He said discussions focused on ensuring “safe and unimpeded” maritime commerce.The meeting took place soon after American forces struck Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, casting a shadow over talks between Washington and Tehran that appeared close to a breakthrough. The war has roiled energy markets as Iran has halted almost all non-Iranian shipping in and out of the Gulf, choking off about a fifth of global oil and gas flows and driving prices up by 50 per cent, or more.The International Energy Agency warned that oil markets could enter a "red zone" this summer as stocks continued to deplete.