“There is a fundamental principle about freedom of navigation that is threatened,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told envoys at a Manila gathering of ASEAN.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with the US on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila on Jul 22, 2026. (Photo: AFO/Eloisa Lopez)
22 Jul 2026 11:25AM
(Updated: 22 Jul 2026 11:32AM)
MANILA: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Wednesday (Jul 22) that Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz would set a dangerous precedent with repercussions beyond the Middle East.His comments came as US Central Command said it had begun striking military targets in Iran for the "11th consecutive night" in a bid to degrade the country's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the waterway."If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation-state can decide to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and blow up your ships if you don't pay, we have created a very dangerous precedent that will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including this region," Rubio told envoys at a Manila gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)."At its core, it's very simple. Iran demands the right - which they do not have under any existing legal mechanism - to control the transit of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz," he said."There is a fundamental principle about freedom of navigation that is threatened," he added."That cannot be allowed to happen."
