Rubio warns ASEAN Iran's Hormuz ambitions set precedent

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Southeast Asian leaders on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, that Iran's attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz set a dangerous global precedent, as American airstrikes against Iranian military targets continued for an eleventh consecutive night. Speaking to foreign ministers at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering in Manila, Rubio framed the conflict as a fundamental challenge to the principle of freedom of navigation with implications far beyond the Middle East.

Rubio stated that Iran is demanding a right it does not legally possess to control traffic through the strait, a critical waterway for global energy supplies. He argued that allowing a nation to charge tolls and attack non-compliant ships would create a model that could be replicated in other strategic regions, including Southeast Asia, which is grappling with its own maritime disputes in the South China Sea. His comments came as U.S. Central Command confirmed ongoing strikes aimed at degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping.

The secretary's remarks in Manila followed a series of statements he made earlier in the week, in which he accused Tehran of...