The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Monday called on the United States and Iran to continue negotiations aimed at ending the war in the Middle East and guaranteeing safe passage for ships through Strait of Hormuz. TASR writes about it according to an AFP report.
Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines and Malaysia are heavily dependent on oil from the Middle East, much of which is exported via this key waterway. The Philippines, which currently chairs the association, introduced a four-day work week for civil servants in March to save fuel, while Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam have encouraged civil servants to work from home.
Ministers of foreign affairs of 11 member countries discussed via online broadcast the US-Israeli war against Iran, hours before the US Navy was due to begin a blockade of Iranian ports.
US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that The United States will begin blocking maritime traffic in Iranian ports and coastal areas after the weekend peace talks they did not reach an agreement with Tehran.
The announced blockade of all Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman was supposed to begin on Monday at 4:00 p.m. CEST. The Central Command of the US Armed Forces (CENTCOM) announced it, saying that only ships that are not sailing to or from Iran will be able to pass through the key Strait of Hormuz.
His army called the move illegal with a warningthat if Iranian ports are threatened, none of the others in the surrounding countries of the Persian Gulf will be safe. ASEAN foreign ministers agreed to urge the US and Iran to “continued negotiations that will lead to an end to the conflict and lasting peace and stability in the region”, stated in their joint statement.
They also called for the “full and effective observance” of the current two-week ceasefire and on the “restorationnot the safe, undisturbed and continuous passage of ships and aircraft through the Strait of Hormuz”. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), approximately 20 percent of the world’s oil supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz on ships, of which 80 percent is destined for the Asian market.
