FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said in April that Singapore would not negotiate for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, as doing so would undermine fundamental principles of international law.
Transit through such waterways is a right, not a privilege, he said at the time.
Iran has said it has allowed ships from several countries – including China, India, Pakistan, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines – to cross the strait since its forces effectively slowed traffic through the narrow sea lane after a conflict began in late February.
In deciding the list, Iran assesses whether a country is directly hostile or supportive of the US-Israel position in the conflict, observers told CNA.
Tehran’s selective approach might push other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) facing domestic fuel shortages to negotiate for access in the Strait of Hormuz, they said.
