ASEAN Beat | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia

Philippines Holds Talks With Iran on Safe Passage Through Strait of Hormuz

Washington’s Asian allies have shown little interest in supporting the U.S. war effort, even at the level of rhetoric.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro, Philippine Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, and Yousef Esmaeilzadeh, Iran’s ambassador to the Philippines, meet in Manila, Philippines, Apr. 1, 2026.

The Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, has asked Iran to designate it a “non-hostile” country and to ensure the safe passage of Philippine-flagged vessels and oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

The request was conveyed yesterday during a meeting in Manila between Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, and Yousef Esmaeilzadeh, Iran’s ambassador to the Philippines, as per Inquirer.net.

In a post on X about yesterday’s meeting, Lazaro said that the Philippines and Iran “are committed to deepening our cooperation across all fronts, particularly energy cooperation.”

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro later clarified that Lazaro emphasized that the designation as a non-hostile state is “vital for the protection of our seafarers and our energy supply,” Inquirer.net reported.

According to Castro, Esmaeilzadeh said that Tehran “has been awaiting our outreach and reaffirmed their strong willingness to assist the Philippines with our specific requests.”

Manila, in turn, has agreed to route all detailed requests through official diplomatic channels. “The meeting was exceptionally warm and open. Given their stated readiness to cooperate, we are highly optimistic about a favorable outcome,” Castro said. Lazaro is expected to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi today in order to “secure these commitments at the highest level,” Castro added.

The meeting came a day after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered officials to negotiate with Iran to secure safe passage for Philippine-bound oil tankers through the Strait. The Philippines is heavily dependent on crude oil imports from the Middle East, which make up around 95 percent of its total. As a result, between February 23 and March 23, the Philippines saw the highest increase in petrol prices of any nation in the world, according........

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