Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) opened their 59th annual meeting in Manila on Tuesday, issuing a draft statement calling for "the restoration of the safe, unimpeded, and continuous transit passage of vessels and aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz" amid renewed US-Iran hostilities threatening oil supplies to the region. The bloc warned that continued Middle East tensions carry "further implications" for regional trade, energy, and food security, while also pressing for a complete cessation of hostilities across all fronts. The week-long diplomatic gathering — attended by senior officials including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov — is also expected to address stalled peace efforts in Myanmar and fresh clashes between Chinese and Philippine forces in the South China Sea.