Singapore says no negotiations for Hormuz safe passage; transit is ‘right, not privilege’

Singapore says no negotiations for Hormuz safe passage; transit is ‘right, not privilege’Vivian Balakrishnan says freedom of navigation is ‘of profound importance’ because it affects the Straits of Malacca and Singapore3-MIN READ3-MIN1ListenPublished: 9:16am, 8 Apr 2026Singapore will not negotiate for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, as doing so would undermine fundamental principles of International Law, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has said.Responding to a parliamentary question on Tuesday by Member of Parliament Fadli Fawzi on whether Singapore would engage Iran or consider paying a toll for its vessels, Balakrishnan stressed that transit through such waterways was a right – not a privilege.“There is a right of transit passage,” he said. “It is not a privilege to be granted by the bordering state, it’s not a licence to be supplicated for, it is not a toll to be paid.”Select VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x