Press Release (10 April 2026)
One-Sided and Misleading: Vivian Balakrishnan’s Strait of Hormuz Stance Ignores the Context of US–Israel Aggression Against Iran
Citizens International reads Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan’s comment on April 7 with regards to Singapore’s position to not negotiate with Iran for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz with great disappointment. The statement from the minister reflects a one-sided understanding of the illegal war against Iran, with little solidarity with the country that suffers illegal aggression and illegal sanctions by the United States (U.S.) and Israel.
Dr. Balakrishnan said that engaging in negotiation with Iran for safe passage would implicitly erode the legal principle of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which Singapore is a signatory. However, it fails to take into account the circumstances of the war that is in the process of defending itself from the illegal attack by the two rogue states, Iran has decided to take control of the straits as an attempt to seek durable peace.
Iran has been a target of war crimes and has suffered significant casualties. The recent attack on Iran’s only operational nuclear facility, the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant—another violation of international law by the United States—has heightened concerns over a potential nuclear incident with catastrophic consequences for countries across the Gulf region. These are critical contexts for understanding the logic behind the decision to control the straits.
In fact, countries such as Singapore and other ASEAN member states, which have long championed peace and neutrality, should have devoted greater efforts to holding the real perpetrators accountable. Instead, Singapore has chosen to highlight and echo the strategic interests of the United States, a known aggressor that blatantly disregards international law and the sovereignty of other nations.
If the minister so eagerly invokes the sanctity of international law—such as UNCLOS—when it comes to Iran, one must ask whether that same legal conscience extends to the long catalogue of violations committed by the United States and Israel. Is international law to be wielded as a principle, or merely as an instrument of convenience?
Citizens International urges all peace-loving nations, particularly those within ASEAN, to remain faithful to their historic commitments: to stand for peace against the machinery of war, for dialogue against the language of force, and for genuine solidarity with the oppressed rather than quiet accommodation with those who perpetuate their suffering.
Imran Mohd Rasid
Executive Director
Citizens International
