Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran is not serious about negotiations and warned of consequences if it does not keep its commitments, in remarks to Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila on July 22.
He spoke at the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with the United States, held at the Philippine International Convention Center, according to a transcript released by the State Department.
The United States is always committed to diplomacy and willing to negotiate settlements, Rubio said, and that holds for Iran.
Iran has reached out directly and indirectly, he said, and the two sides have reached agreements — but Iran has not kept its commitments.
He cited a statement President Trump made earlier that day in Washington but did not describe it.
“If they’re serious, we’re serious,” Rubio said. “If they’re not, then we will do what is necessary to protect that, our interests, and also the interests of our allies.”
Rubio did not specify what consequences Iran could face.
If they’re serious, we’re serious. If they’re not, then we will do what is necessary to protect that, our interests, and also the interests of our allies. — Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Freedom of navigation
Iran demands the right to control transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio said, a right he said it does not hold under any existing legal mechanism. He called the strait an international waterway.
Rubio warned of a precedent in which a country could control an international waterway, charge tolls and, in his words, “blow up your ships” if payment is not made.
Such a precedent could be repeated elsewhere, including in Southeast Asia, he said.
More than the strait is at stake, Rubio said. He called freedom of navigation a fundamental principle and said a threat to it would threaten the global economy and the rules that have underpinned 150 years of international trade and commerce.
“If that is threatened, then I think the global economy is threatened,” he said.
Without consequences, Rubio said, a “rogue regime” could hold hostage a significant share of the region’s energy supply and 20% of the world’s energy supply. He accused Iran of claiming a right to impose tolls and control shipping that it does not possess under international laws governing maritime transit.
The United States remains open to “positive, constructive negotiations and talks” as long as commitments are kept, Rubio said.
“The United States is always committed to diplomacy,” he said. “We are open-minded and always willing to engage in negotiated settlements of differences.”
When commitments are not kept, Rubio added, “there will be consequences.”
U.S. investment in Southeast Asia
Rubio said the United States is delivering $2.5 billion in government strategic investments in Southeast Asia.
“This is not charity,” Rubio said. The United States’ partnerships with countries in the region serve its national interests, he added, and Washington will not abandon them.
Rubio also cited the Development Finance Corporation’s recent approval of $1.5 billion in new strategic investments involving aviation infrastructure, energy security and secure supply chains.
The United States is also committing nearly $130 million in assistance to ASEAN countries for demining, Rubio said. He linked that assistance to improving the safety of people across the region.
Rubio said Washington will support LNG market development, the deployment of U.S. grid technologies and the ASEAN power grid. He also pledged support for civil nuclear energy programs and regional energy infrastructure, including critical mineral supply chains.
The United States will remain heavily engaged on energy issues as ASEAN implements its Petroleum Security Agreement, Rubio said.
Rubio repeated the U.S. commitment to ASEAN, citing Trump’s statement at the previous year’s U.S.-ASEAN summit that Washington was “with ASEAN 100 percent.”
The United States intends to remain a “reliable and durable partner” to ASEAN for the next 50 years and beyond, Rubio said.
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