US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Wednesday that allowing Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which a significant share of the world's oil flows — would set a dangerous precedent with consequences far beyond the Middle East. Speaking in Manila on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathering, Rubio said the United States remains open to diplomacy but questioned whether Tehran is genuinely committed to negotiations.
"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 said. He framed Iran's demands as a fundamental challenge to freedom of navigation — a principle with direct relevance for Southeast Asia, where China and several ASEAN member states hold overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea. "That cannot be allowed to happen," he added.
Rubio's remarks came as the wider conflict continued to escalate. US Central Command said it had struck military targets in Iran for an eleventh consecutive night, with explosions reported in Tehran and in the southeastern coastal cities of Chabahar and Konarak, as well as near Bushehr, home to Iran's only nuclear power plant. Iran, meanwhile, has targeted US military sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, and a tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump confirmed that 18 US service members have been killed since the war began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The conflict has already begun disrupting two of the world's most critical energy chokepoints. The Houthis, the Iran-aligned movement that controls Yemen's coastline at the mouth of the Red Sea, announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia and threatened to attack any ships loading or discharging Saudi crude. Three oil tankers bound for China and India reversed course in the Red Sea on Tuesday. With Iran threatening shipping through Hormuz and the Houthis tightening their grip on the Bab el-Mandeb — the "Gate of Tears" strait at the Red Sea's southern entrance — Saudi Arabia's oil export options are narrowing sharply. Brent crude rose above $91 a barrel and US gasoline climbed back over $4 a gallon.
Diplomacy has not entirely stalled. A senior Iranian official confirmed that Tehran received a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire aimed at salvaging a June interim ceasefire agreement, and Iran's Interior Minister visited mediator Pakistan to encourage continued efforts. Rubio acknowledged these signals but remained cautious. "The United States remains open and willing to engage in positive and constructive negotiations, provided that the commitments made are honoured," he said. "The problem we are currently facing is that they are not taking the negotiations seriously. If they are serious, we will be too. If they are not, then we will do what is necessary to protect our interests and those of our allies."