Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink says the US still has ‘extraordinary’ influence in the region, given its trade and security ties with Asean
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenUshar DanieleandIman Muttaqin YusofPublished: 6:20pm, 9 Apr 2026The US war on Iran has triggered the worst energy crisis in memory and punched a hole in Southeast Asia’s energy-importing economies. Still, a top former US diplomat insists America remains a dependable ally and will be central to the region’s trade and security for years to come.The Trump administration’s attack on Iran had inflicted pain on Southeast Asian allies dependent on Middle Eastern energy imports, said Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink, a former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.
Speaking to This Week in Asia hours ahead of Tuesday’s fragile two-week ceasefire, he warned the pain caused by the spike in energy prices – including oil that had soared above US$100 a barrel for weeks – was far from over.
“It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” said Kritenbrink, who served under former president Joe Biden and is now a partner at The Asia Group, a Washington-based consulting firm.
But Washington would remain an indispensable ally, he said, with few signals that Southeast Asia would shift closer to China as a consequence of the White House’s unpredictable trade and security policy.
