MANILA, Philippines (AP) 鈥� U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Asian leaders Wednesday that Iran’s demand to control and collect tolls in would threaten the world鈥檚 economy and the principle of freedom of navigation.
Rubio spoke at the start of in the Philippine capital, Manila, with counterparts from the who have in the Middle East that has battered their region. Despite Washington鈥檚 preoccupation with the war in the Middle East, Rubio reassured 鈥渨e鈥檙e with ASEAN 100%.鈥�
鈥淚f we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll and if you don鈥檛 pay them, blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region,鈥� he said.
Top diplomats from the U.S., China, Russia and several other countries are in Manila this week to take part in the gathering of Southeast Asian foreign ministers. was arriving Wednesday, his office said.
Rubio also met with foreign affairs ministers of the 鈥� made up of the U.S., Australia, India and Japan 鈥� where they discussed shared priorities around technology, humanitarian assistance, emergency response as well as maritime and transnational security.
They issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to their maritime security initiatives that seek to counter China鈥檚 growing influence in the region.
鈥淲e are united in our conviction that peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain underpin the security and prosperity of the region,鈥� the leaders said in a statement.
Rubio added in a post on X that, 鈥淭he Quad remains a priority, and we will meet again later this year.鈥�
The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized in the South China Sea to the disadvantage of smaller claimant countries like the Philippines, Washington’s oldest treaty ally in Asia.
The territorial disputes, which also involve Taiwan and ASEAN members Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, are high on the agenda of three days of talks that started Tuesday in Manila.
Rubio later met with his Indian counterpart, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, where they discussed both regional issues and the Iran war, according to a U.S. State Department spokesperson, along with a yet-to-be completed trade agreement to lower U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 tariffs on Indian goods.
鈥淭he Secretary and Minister Jaishankar agreed on the importance of finalizing the interim trade deal, which is almost complete,鈥� spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
Rubio was scheduled to meet separately with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the meetings in a tightly secured convention complex by Manila Bay.
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