Conflict · ArchiveASEAN Sounds Alarm as US-Iran War Threatens Southeast Asia's Energy LifelineAired July 22, 2026 at 3:06 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00For 10 days now, the fighting between0:01the United States and Iran has0:03effectively shut down one of the world's0:05most critical energy choke points. And0:07tonight, the countries that depend on0:09that route are sounding the alarm in0:10Manila.0:12Iran's Revolutionary Guard stopped two0:14oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on0:16Tuesday, escalating a conflict now in0:18its 10th consecutive day. The Strait0:20carries roughly 1/5 of the entire global0:22oil supply for Southeast Asian nations0:24that import most of their crude from the0:25Middle East. This is a direct threat to0:27their economies and their Asian foreign0:29ministers gathered in Manila on July0:3121st and issued an urgent statement0:33calling for an immediate halt to0:35hostilities and the safe reopening of0:37the waterway. Philippine Foreign Affairs0:39Secretary Maria Teresa Lazaro said the0:41situation demanded a separate statement0:43because of its sheer urgency. Secretary0:45Lazaro stressed how grave the moment is0:48for the 10-member bloc, whose combined0:50population of 680 million relies heavily0:52on Middle Eastern energy imports0:54transiting through the Gulf. The0:55Philippines declared a national energy0:58emergency back in March. Even before1:00this conflict erupted, a stark sign of1:02how exposed the region already was.1:04ASEAN is now actively discussing a1:06regional oil sharing mechanism to help1:09member states manage the supply1:10disruption. And the threat is spreading.1:13Iran's Houthi allies in Yemen have now1:15threatened to blockade Saudi ports1:16through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, the1:18southern entrance to the Red Sea.1:20If both choke points are compromised,1:22the disruption to global energy markets1:24would be catastrophic, with Southeast1:26Asia bearing the heaviest burden.1:27Tonight, 680 million people across1:30Southeast Asia are paying the price for1:32a conflict decided far from their1:33shores. The ASEAN ministers have made1:36their plea, but with both choke points1:37now under threat, the region is running1:39out of options.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗