Iran and some of the world\u2019s most intractable conflicts will be high in the agenda of the annual talks held by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations<\/a> and hosted by the Philippines, the 11-nation bloc\u2019s current chair.<\/p>\n U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov<\/a> are among the attendees. Ukraine\u2019s<\/a> top diplomat, Andrii Sybiha, has been invited to attend a Friday ceremony commemorating a 1976 nonaggression treaty of ASEAN, but will not be participating in the ASEAN meetings attended by Lavrov and Rubio.<\/p>\n Rubio and Lavrov have not announced any plans to meet each other or Sybiha while they are in Manila.<\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters before departing from Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, July 19, 2026, to the Philippines to attend the ASEAN foreign ministers\u2019 meeting and other related meetings. (Brendan Smialowski\/Pool Photo via AP)\n<\/p>\n Police guard outside the venue of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers\u2019 Meeting, Post-Ministerial Conferences, and the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia on Monday, July 20, 2026, in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo\/Aaron Favila)\n<\/p>\n Police patrol outside the venue of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers\u2019 Meeting, Post-Ministerial Conferences, and the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia on Monday, July 20, 2026, in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo\/Aaron Favila)\n<\/p>\n Police patrol outside the venue of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers\u2019 Meeting, Post-Ministerial Conferences, and the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia on Monday, July 20, 2026, in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo\/Aaron Favila)\n<\/p>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1 of 4<\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters before departing from Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, July 19, 2026, to the Philippines to attend the ASEAN foreign ministers\u2019 meeting and other related meetings. (Brendan Smialowski\/Pool Photo via AP)\n<\/p>\n Expand<\/a> Southeast Asia, a bustling region of more than 680 million people, relies heavily on Middle East oil and gas and was severely hit<\/a> by the global supply and price shocks sparked by the Iran war. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a national energy emergency<\/a> in March to ensure the availability of fuel, food and other basic goods and prevent hoarding and profiteering.<\/p>\n ASEAN foreign ministers will first meet among themselves on Tuesday to discuss the renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran<\/a> and threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, the waterway where roughly 20% of global oil supplies transited before the war.<\/p>\n \u201cWe underscored the importance of maintaining regional peace, stability and prosperity, upholding international law \u2026 including the need for a complete and immediate cessation of hostilities across all fronts in the Middle East,\u201d the ministers said in a draft statement of concern, which was seen by The Associated Press.<\/p>\n \u201cWe acknowledged the further implications of the continued tensions in the Middle East on regional trade, energy and food security, including energy markets and supply chains, agricultural production,\u201d said the statement, which will be made public after their meeting.<\/p>\n The ministers \u201ccalled for the restoration of the safe, unimpeded and continuous transit passage of vessels and aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d<\/p>\n Rubio meeting with ASEAN and Quad envoys<\/p>\n Rubio\u2019s attendance in the ASEAN meetings was apparently aimed at dispelling concerns that the war in the Middle East would deter the U.S. from focusing on the Indo-Pacific, especially China\u2019s actions in the disputed South China Sea and its pressure on Taiwan.<\/p>\n \u201cThe secretary\u2019s visit advances a clear U.S. priority: a free and open Indo-Pacific that delivers safety, security and prosperity for the region and for the American people,\u201d State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott said in Washington.<\/p>\n Rubio is also expected to meet member of the Quad, which consists of the U.S., India, Japan and Australia, and is seen as a major component of the American strategy to counter China. It has been repeatedly criticized by Beijing as a U.S. scheme to contain its growing influence.<\/p>\n Myanmar\u2019s civil war and the South China Sea are among regional disputes<\/p>\n The foreign ministers have been under growing pressure to do more to help resolve the conflicts in their own region, primarily the civil war in Myanmar<\/a> and the disputes in the South China Sea.<\/a><\/p>\n Since Myanmar\u2019s army wrested power from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, more than 8,100 people have been killed and nearly 22,500 remained in detention, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights-monitoring group.<\/p>\n![\"Secretary](\"https:\/\/www.bostonherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26201066793927.jpg?w=620\")
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\nIran war is among ASEAN\u2019s top concerns<\/p>\n