Singapore says it will not negotiate with Iran for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as a matter of principle because it believes transiting critical waterways is a right and not a privilege. It sits on the Strait of Malacca, the crossroads of major global maritime routes between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, and hosts the world’s busiest transshipment port which reported 3.11 billion tonnes of vessel arrivals in 2024. This makes Singapore the only Asian country so far to publicly refuse negotiating passage with Iran. India, Pakistan, Thailand, and the Philippines, among other countries, have already made deals with Tehran to allow their shipments through. Some vessels are reportedly paying as much as $2m (£1.4m) in fees to Iran to cross the waterway without coming under fire. How do you expect Iran to respond ?
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