Philippines seeks safe passage for oil in Iran meeting<\/p>\n
Manila has requested that Iran formally designate the Philippines as\na \u2018non-hostile country\u2019 and ensure safe passage for PH-flagged vessels\nand oil shipments.<\/p>\n
MANILA: The Philippines has sought safe passage for desperately\nneeded oil shipments in a meeting with Iran, a presidential spokeswoman\nsaid on Wednesday (Apr 1), as the import-dependent archipelago jockeys\nwith other regional countries for fuel.<\/p>\n
The price of fuel has hit historic highs in the Philippines since\ntreaty ally the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb\n28, with Tehran effectively closing the vital Strait of Hormuz to\ntraffic since.<\/p>\n
President Ferdinand Marcos declared a state of national energy\nemergency last week, later saying that \u201cnothing was off the table\u201d as\nthe country of 116 million tried to meet its need for fuel.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said she had explored\n\u201ckey avenues for cooperation\u201d in a meeting with Iranian ambassador\nYousef Esmaeilzadeh that included the Philippines\u2019 energy secretary.<\/p>\n
\u201cBuilding on the momentum of our Political Consultations last\nNovember 2025, we are committed to deepening our cooperation across all\nfronts, particularly energy cooperation,\u201d she said in a post on social\nmedia platform X.<\/p>\n
Presidential spokeswoman Claire Castro later told reporters that\nLazaro had sought safe passage through the strait for oil shipments\nbound for the Philippines.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecretary Lazaro requested that Iran formally designate (the\nPhilippines) as a \u2018non-hostile country\u2019 and ensure safe passage for\nPH-flagged vessels and oil shipments,\u201d Castro told reporters via\nmessaging app.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is vital for the protection of our seafarers and our energy\nsupply.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added the Iranian ambassador had been \u201cawaiting our outreach and\nreaffirmed their strong willingness to assist the Philippines with our\nspecific requests\u201d.<\/p>\n
Lazaro was expected to speak with Iran\u2019s foreign minister on Thursday\nto formally secure those commitments, she said.<\/p>\n
The Iranian embassy in Manila declined to comment on the meeting.<\/p>\n
In a report to the Philippine stock exchange released Monday, the\noperator of the country\u2019s sole oil refinery said it had agreed to\npurchase Russian crude after seeing at least four million barrels in\nshipments cancelled since the start of the Middle East war.<\/p>\n
Its purchase of 2.5 million barrels of Russian crude had been made\nout of \u201cextreme necessity\u201d, the report from Petron Corp said.<\/p>\n
AFP had previously reported that a tanker filled with Russian crude\noil had arrived at the harbour servicing Petron\u2019s refinery, a purchase\nunthinkable before the United States eased sanctions tied to Moscow\u2019s\nwar in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Wednesday\u2019s meeting between the Philippines and Iran comes just days\nafter Malaysia announced its tankers would be permitted to pass through\nthe Strait of Hormuz without paying any toll to Tehran.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/philippines-seeks-safe-passage-for-oil-in-iran-meeting-1775049393", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }