US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Wednesday 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."
Rubio's remarks came as the region is grappling with a series of overlapping claims by China and ASEAN member states in the South China Sea, another crucial maritime route for global trade.
His arrival in the Philippines on Tuesday morning coincided with the US condemnation of a recent clash between Chinese and Philippine sailors in the disputed waterway.
Rubio is to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, where he will also have talks with fellow Quad members India, Australia and Japan, and others.
The secretary of state added that the United States remains "open" to diplomacy with Iran but that Tehran is not "serious".
"The United States remains open and willing to engage in positive and constructive negotiations and discussions, provided that the commitments made are honored," he said.
"The problem we are currently facing is that they are not taking the negotiations seriously," Rubio said.
"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."
