'We need to see it open': QUAD unites on Hormuz crisis as Rubio briefs allies on Iran talks
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio used the meeting to brief Quad partners on the progress of diplomatic negotiations with Iran over the Strait, the narrow waterway whose closure by Tehran, following the outbreak of the US-Israeli conflict on 28 February, has sent shockwaves through global energy markets.
by Zee Media Bureau · Zee NewsThe four nations of the Quad, India, the United States, Japan and Australia, emerged from their first ministerial meeting of 2026 in New Delhi with a unified message on the Strait of Hormuz and a set of concrete initiatives designed to protect Indo-Pacific trade routes and energy supplies from the fallout of the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio used the meeting to brief Quad partners on the progress of diplomatic negotiations with Iran over the Strait, the narrow waterway whose closure by Tehran, following the outbreak of the US-Israeli conflict on 28 February, has sent shockwaves through global energy markets.
"The first point is that Secretary Rubio did update us on the negotiations and the progress of those negotiations with Iran. Australia and others have been saying for some time that we need to see a diplomatic resolution," Wong told reporters after the meeting. "We need to see the Strait open. We need to see the supply flow. And I think that's a consistent position of Quad members."
Wong did not mince words on what Iran's actions had set in motion. "We know the consequences for our region of the Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz and what that means for our energy security, for our economies, and for our people," she said, while praising Rubio's diplomatic efforts to restore freedom of navigation.
Rubio had set a firm tone even before arriving in New Delhi, describing Tehran's attempts to establish a permanent tolling system on maritime traffic through the strait as unlawful, illegal, unsustainable and unacceptable, and making clear that no country would accept such a unilateral move.
From talk to action
The meeting, hosted by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, was notable not just for the strength of its language but for the range of practical measures the four ministers agreed upon, a deliberate effort, in Rubio's words, to transform the Quad from a "talk shop" into a "partnership of action" representing one-third of global GDP.
The centrepiece of the new commitments is the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Initiative, a direct response to the disruption caused by the Hormuz closure, which will see the US Department of Energy host a dedicated Fuel Security Forum for Quad partners later this year. Alongside it, the grouping launched the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration, a mechanism that integrates the tracking and surveillance capabilities of all four nations to produce a Common Operating Picture and enable near real-time data sharing across key shipping corridors.
In a significant geopolitical move, Rubio also announced that the Quad will jointly fund and develop a major port infrastructure project in Fiji under the newly established Quad Ports of the Future Partnership, a clear signal of intent in the Pacific island chains. He concluded by thanking India for agreeing to host the next "Quad at Sea" deployment, which will see the coast guards of all four nations operating together aboard a single vessel.
Jaishankar described the discussions as highly substantive, reiterating the grouping's commitment to safe and unimpeded commerce and the observance of international law. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi confirmed that all four nations had aligned their strategic positions on the evolving security landscape and agreed to firmly oppose any unilateral attempts to alter the status quo through coercion.
With 60 per cent of global maritime trade passing through the Indo-Pacific, the stakes for keeping those corridors open, and the Quad's resolve to do so, have rarely been clearer.
(With IANS inputs)