US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends the ASEAN-US Post Ministerial Conference on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Wednesday. [Reuters]
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends the ASEAN-US Post Ministerial Conference on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Wednesday. [Reuters]

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Wednesday that any Iranian seizure of the Strait of Hormuz would set a "very dangerous precedent" not only for the Middle East but for the world at large — and that Washington would not allow it.

Speaking on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila, Philippines, Rubio said: "If a country in the Middle East establishes a precedent of controlling an international waterway, charging tolls and blowing up ships that don't pay those tolls, that becomes a very dangerous precedent that will be repeated in other parts of the world, including this region."

He added that Iran was demanding control over passage through the Strait of Hormuz — authority it does not possess under any existing legal mechanism. "The fundamental principle of freedom of navigation is under threat," Rubio said. "We cannot allow this to happen."

Rubio said the core problem was that Iran was not engaging seriously. "If they are serious, we will be serious. If they are not serious, we will take the steps necessary to protect our interests and those of our allies," he said.

He said the United States remained "open-minded" about diplomacy with Iran and was willing to engage in "positive and constructive negotiations and discussions, provided that commitments are kept."

Rubio was also scheduled to meet Wednesday with Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, who also serves as China's foreign minister. The two previously met in May when Wang accompanied Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit with US President Donald Trump during Trump's visit to China.

The two countries' top diplomats are expected to focus their talks on preparations for a US-China summit planned around Xi's visit to the United States in September.

Rubio also planned to hold a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi later Wednesday afternoon, and to meet separately with counterparts from the Quad — the four-nation security grouping comprising the United States, Japan, Australia and India.


yckim6452@heraldcorp.com