MANILA
\nIran has allowed Philippine vessels, fuel and seafarers to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Manila\u2019s foreign ministry said on Thursday amid a global energy supply crisis sparked by the war in the Middle East.
\nThe Philippines, which depends almost entirely on the Middle East for its crude oil imports, declared last month a state of national emergency over energy supply disruptions caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
\nIt became the first country to do so after the war effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 the main route for Asia\u2019s energy supply.
\nAs Manila has been working to ensure safe passage of Philippine-bound tankers through the key waterway, Tehran gave the Philippines its reassurance on Thursday during a phone call between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro.
\n\u201c\u200bDuring the call, the Iranian Foreign Minister assured the Secretary that Iran will allow the safe, unhindered, and expeditious passage through the Strait of Hormuz of Philippine-flagged vessels, energy sources, and all Filipino seafarers,\u201d the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
\n\u201c\u200bGiven that the Philippines imports the majority of its energy requirements from the Middle East, these assurances from Iran will greatly facilitate the steady delivery of critical oil and fertilizer supplies to the Philippines.\u201d
\nWith 51 days of fuel supply remaining as of March 31, the \u201cpositive development is vital for the Philippines\u201d as it will \u201chelp ensure energy security for the country,\u201d the department added.
\nIran has allowed only select ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, including some from Malaysia, Pakistan and India.
\n\u201cThe Strait of Hormuz remains open to the world; however, it will always be closed to the enemies of the Iranian people and their bases in the region,\u201d Ali Akbar Velayati, Iran\u2019s former foreign minister and an adviser to the Iranian supreme leader, said on X.
\nThe Philippines has a defense agreement for joint training and exercises with Washington, which grants the US access to nine military sites in the Southeast Asian country.
\nPhilippine officials have said that the sites are not US military bases, and that the American presence there is not permanent but rotational.
\n\u201cThere are no American military bases in the Philippines,\u201d National Security Council Assistant Director General Cornelio Valencia Jr. said last month.
\n\u201cThe sites referred to under the EDCA (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement) are Philippine military bases that remain under the full ownership, control and management of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MANILA Iran has allowed Philippine vessels, fuel and seafarers to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Manila\u2019s foreign ministry said on Thursday amid a global energy supply crisis sparked by the war in the Middle East. The Philippines, which depends almost entirely on the Middle East for its crude oil imports, declared last month […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":539733,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-539706","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n