US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Southeast Asian foreign ministers that Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz would set a dangerous precedent with repercussions beyond the Middle East, AFP reports.

“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation-state can decide to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and blow up your ships if you don’t pay, we have created a very dangerous precedent that will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including this region,” he told envoys at a Manila gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.