MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has ordered Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro to negotiate with Iranian Ambassador to Manila Yousef Esmaeil Zadeh to ensure the safe passage of Philippine-bound oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said on Tuesday (March 31).
This follows a call from Sen Sherwin Gatchalian urging the Marcos administration to hold “high-level” talks with Iran to ensure the safe transit of Philippine-bound vessels through the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
“And according to Secretary Tess Lazaro of the Department of Foreign Affairs, she will talk with the ambassador of Iran, most probably tomorrow. If it doesn’t happen tomorrow, then by next week,” Castro said.
The Philippines imports 98 per cent of its crude oil from the Middle East, with the remaining 2 percent coming from other Asian countries.
However, the conflict in the Middle East has led to a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.
Iran has said that the Strait of Hormuz was open to all except the United States and Israel and those that supported their attacks. The Philippines is a US treaty ally but is not involved in the war against Iran.
Nearly 2,000 vessels are stranded near the gateway for petroleum exports from the Persian Gulf.
The shipping journal Lloyd’s List reported on March 25 that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had already imposed a “toll booth” system to control vessel traffic through the strait. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
