Philippines Asked Iran for “Nonhostile” Mark on Strait-of-Hormuz Passage

Amid the worsening fuel supply in the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Energy (DOE) asked the Iranian government on Wednesday, 01 April 2026 to label the Philippines a “nonhostile” country relative to sailing in the Strait of Hormuz.

In an online interview on the same day, Presidential Spokesman Claire Castro stated that DFA secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro and DOE secretary Sharin S. Garin met with Iranian ambassador to the Philippines Yousef Esmaeilzadeh, requesting the Arab government to include the Philippines in the list of nonhostile nations to allow Filipino vessels and oil shipments for the Philippines pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Castro also allayed fears that such talks with Iran will affect the Philippines’s close alliance with the United States (US).

“Alam naman po nila [Lazaro and Garin] kung ano po yung kalagayan natin ngayon, at ang hiniling lang naman nila ay madeklara tayo as nonhostile country. Wala naman tayong kinakampihan,” the palace speaker said. 

Castro reported Iran’s openness for discussion with the Philippines. She described the meeting among the officials “exceptionally warm and open.” She, however, clarified that the Iranian side did not commit to anything for the Philippines.

The presidential spokesman noted that the Philippine state, led by Lazaro, is set to meet with the Iranian foreign ministry today, 02 April 2026 for further discussion on bilateral arrangements amid the ongoing war of the US and Israel against Iran.

As of this writing, there are no reports yet about this scheduled meeting.

The Strait of Hormuz is critical to global oil trade, where around 30% of oil shipment from crude-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar bound for various countries worldwide passes through this waterway. Iran controls the Strait and regulates its operations.

Reports show that up to 98% of the Philippines’s fuel supply is dependent on oil shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Petrol prices in the Philippines began to spike in March 2026 as the war between the US and Israel, and Iran continues, crippling various aspects of the Philippine economy such as trade and public transportation.