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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
April 6, 2026 | 3:38pm
A person points at a page on the Marinetraffic website that shows commercial boats traffic on the edge of the Strait of Hormuz near the Iranian coast, in Paris on March 4, 2026.
AFP / Julien dela Rosa
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines' safe passage deal with Iran will not damage its alliance with the United States, Malacañang said Monday, April 16.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro compared the Strait of Hormuz arrangement to the country's recent purchase of Russian crude oil, another transaction by Manila with a US adversary.
The Philippine government secured last week Iran's assurance that it would allow Philippine-flagged and Philippine-bound vessels to pass the Strait of Hormuz. The deal was made after a phone call between Manila and Tehran's top diplomats.
"We don't see any issue with our friend the United States because they understand the situation," Castro said in mixed English and Filipino during a press briefing, citing information from Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro.
Castro brought up the recent Philippine oil imports from Russia, which have proceeded without Washington's objection.
Manila, with this, is treating its engagement with countries on the opposite side of the US-led war in Iran as routine and defensible, even as Washington is currently pressing allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force.
The Philippines — a treaty ally that hosts American troops under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement — secured a "non-hostile" designation from Tehran last week.
Bulk carriers still awaiting clearance
Castro said the DFA requested late last week that Philippine-flagged bulk carriers with Filipino seafarers be allowed to transit the strait. As of Monday, Manila was still waiting for responses from Tehran and the Maritime Industry Authority.
She said the arrangement covers all Philippine-bound goods, not just oil. "When we say they can pass, [it means] all Philippine products or Philippine-bound goods [that we benefit from]," Castro said.
Don't expect cheaper fuel
Amid growing discontent with rising fuel prices, the Palace also moved to manage expectations about what the deal will — and won't — deliver at the pump.
Castro, citing Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, said the arrangement secures supply, not lower prices.
"This is about the safe passage of Philippine cargo, Philippine-bound goods, and Philippine crew — price is not what's being discussed here," she said. "What's being discussed is the continued supply of petroleum products to the country."
How much additional fuel the deal would actually channel into Philippine reserves remained unclear. Castro said Garin was meeting Monday afternoon to work through the specifics.
US' continued failure to end conflict
The deal places the Philippines among a growing roster of countries that have negotiated their own way through the strait after Iran choked it shut. China, Russia, India, Iraq, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Bangladesh all secured similar arrangements.
Japan and South Korea — also US treaty allies — have been designated "non-hostile" by Tehran.
The Philippines was the first country to declare a national energy emergency over the crisis, which erupted after the US and Israel struck Iran on February 28, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran retaliated by seizing control of the strait, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and gas flows, and has wielded access as leverage ever since.
More than a month in, the American military campaign to force the waterway back open has failed. US President Donald Trump today published a new threat against Iran if it does not reopen the Hormuz to all shipping.
