ASEAN foreign ministers meet and plan statement amid grave concern over US-Iran conflict

The group gathers amid wider instability after open conflict resumed between the US and Iran, prompting worries about energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and inflation.

ByREUTERS

JULY 21, 2026 07:41

Foreign ministers from the Southeast Asian group ASEAN will release a statement on the Middle East crisis after voicing grave concern over the fast-changing situation, the Philippines top diplomat said on Tuesday.

Maria Theresa Lazaro spoke to reporters after leading a closed-door session in Manila with her counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The talks unfold as US-Iran tensions threaten to overshadow a diplomatic gathering in Southeast Asia this week, adding uncertainty to a region already dealing with maritime disputes involving China and a stalled regional push to resolve Myanmar civil war.

Meeting to highlight economic worries

Foreign ministers from the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and key partners will meet in Manila against the backdrop of instability outside the region following renewed open conflict between the US and Iran, raising concerns about energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, inflation, and global growth.

We are looking at several occasions where they can raise this very critical topic, said Dominic Xavier Imperial, a spokesperson for the Philippines, the meeting host.

Yet Southeast Asia top diplomats meeting on Tuesday confront plenty of challenges nearer to home.

They will hold an informal consultation on Myanmar conflict, as ASEAN peace initiative struggles to make progress five years after its launch following a military coup that plunged the country into civil war that has killed an estimated 100,000 people.