Southeast Asian nations called on the US and Iran to continue negotiations to end their conflict after talks over the weekend fell through.
“We urge the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran to continue negotiations that will lead to the permanent end of the conflict and lasting peace and stability in the region,” foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said in a statement on Monday.
US President Donald Trump’s threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz after talks with Iran collapsed risks widening a war now entering its seventh week, lifting oil prices and raising the prospect of further economic pain around the globe.
The ministers also called for the “full and effective” implementation of the ceasefire to prevent further loss of lives in the conflict that began in late February.
The bloc, many of whose members source oil from the Middle East, also called for the restoration of the “safe, unimpeded, and continuous transit passage” of vessels and aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz.
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