Iran’s challenge to freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that Iran’s challenge to freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz threatened not only global trade but also risked setting a dangerous precedent for Asia’s contested maritime routes.
Addressing foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila on July 22, Rubio said the US was prepared to negotiate with Iran but accused Tehran of failing to honour previous commitments and of lacking seriousness in its diplomatic approach.
“The United States is always committed to diplomacy,” Rubio said on July 22. “We’re open-minded and always willing to engage and negotiate settlements and differences, and that remains true in the case of Iran.”
“The problem we’re having right now is that they’re not serious about talks. If they’re serious, we’re serious,” he added. “If they’re not, we will do what is necessary to protect our interests and those of our allies.””
Rubio’s remarks came amid renewed military exchanges and US strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure linked to threats against commercial shipping.
His central message to Southeast Asian governments was that Iran’s actions extend well beyond the Persian Gulf.
He argued that allowing Tehran to dictate shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would undermine one of the fundamental principles underpinning international commerce: freedom of navigation.
“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,” Rubio said.
Calling the waterway an international passage protected by international law, Rubio warned that acquiescing to Iranian demands would encourage similar behaviour elsewhere.
“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation-state can decide that it is going to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and, if you don’t pay it, blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent that will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including this region.”
Rubio argued that the Strait of Hormuz dispute had direct implications for Asia.
“I don’t need to teach this region about the importance of freedom of navigation,” Rubio said. “What is at stake here is not simply the issue of what’s happening in the Strait of Hormuz.”
He said the crisis threatened “the global economy” and warned that “the rules that have underpinned 150 years of international trade and commerce are also threatened, and that cannot be allowed to happen.”
Without action, Rubio said, “20 per cent of the world’s energy supply is being held hostage by a rogue regime” that is seeking authority “they do not have under any definition of international law.”
Beyond Iran, Rubio sought to reassure Southeast Asian governments that Washington’s engagement in the region would remain a priority despite conflicts elsewhere.
He described ASEAN as America’s “primary mechanism” for regional engagement and said Washington’s “partnership with each of your countries and the region at large is in the national interest of the United States. We will never abandon it.”
Rubio also pledged that US relations with other major powers would “never come at the expense of our alliances” or regional partners.
He announced plans to deepen engagement through $2.5 billion in strategic US government investments and another $1.5 billion through the US Development Finance Corporation for aviation infrastructure, energy security, secure supply chains and other key sectors.
He also promised nearly $130 million in regional assistance for demining efforts and the removal of unexploded ordnance from past conflicts in Southeast Asia.
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