Allowing Iran control of Hormuz 'dangerous precedent', Rubio tells ASEAN

MANILA, July 22 (Agencies): 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.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday discussed a visit to the US in September by Chinese President Xi Jinping during an Asian gathering where ministers voiced concern about the Iran war and South China Sea tensions.

Rubio said he and Wang discussed at length the need to lay the groundwork for a "very positive visit" by Xi, and it was their job to manage the big differences between the two countries and ensure they did not get out of control.