U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Southeast Asian Foreign Ministers today that Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz would set a dangerous precedent with repercussions beyond the West Asia.

His comments came as U.S. 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,” Mr. Rubio told envoys at a Manila gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

-AFP