Manila, Philippines - Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Wednesday that it would set a "dangerous precedent" if Iran were allowed to control the Strait of Hormuz.

Rubio issued the stark warning while meeting with envoys and numerous foreign ministers from across Southeast Asia and the Pacific during a gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila.

"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 said.

"At its core, it's very simple. Iran demands the right – which they do not have under any existing legal mechanism – to control the transit of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz."

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"There is a fundamental principle about freedom of navigation that is threatened," Rubio added. "That cannot be allowed to happen."

Rubio's remarks came as the region is grappling with a series of overlapping claims by China and numerous ASEAN member states in the South China Sea, another crucial maritime route for global trade.

His arrival in the Philippines on Tuesday morning coincided with the US condemnation of a recent clash between Chinese and Philippine sailors in the disputed waterway.

On the issue of the war with Iran, the secretary of state added that the US remains "open" to diplomacy, but Tehran is not being "serious."

"The United States remains open and willing to engage in positive and constructive negotiations and discussions, provided that the commitments made are honored," he said.