Will the war on Iran affect ASEAN’s efforts to tackle regional issues?

A 27-minute-40-second video opened the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Manila.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) holds regular meetings to foster regional cooperation and stability.

Renewed US-Iran fighting has taken center stage at the ASEAN gathering in Manila.

The Philippines is hosting Southeast Asian foreign ministers for the meeting.

They are set to confront regional security challenges, including Myanmar's civil war and the South China Sea territorial disputes.

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But renewed fighting between the US and Iran has overshadowed the gathering.

Ministers have called for hostilities to end.

The conflict has hit Asia hard – disrupting its energy and food supplies, international commerce and raising fears of a global economic slowdown.

Will it also affect ASEAN’s efforts to tackle issues within the region?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Richard Heydarian – Political Scientist and Author of Indo-Pacific: Trump, China and the New Struggle for Global Mastery

Phar Kim Ben – Professor in ASEAN studies at International Islamic Univeristy of Malaysia and former Director of Political & Security Community at ASEAN Secretariat

Don McLain Gill – Lecturer at De La Salle University and Indo-Pacific Research fellow with Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

Published On 23 Jul 202623 Jul 2026

The US-Iran conflict disrupts energy and food supplies vital to Asia, threatening economic growth. ASEAN ministers have called for an end to hostilities, but the bloc's consensus-based approach may limit its influence on the broader geopolitical crisis. The fallout could derail ASEAN's own agenda on Myanmar and maritime security.