Philippines sets talks with Iran on oil ships passage

MANILA, Philippines, April 1 ------ The Philippines is set to hold talks with Iran to ensure the safe passage of Philippine-bound oil ships through the Strait of Hormuz, now effectively under Tehran’s control.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro will meet with Iranian Ambassador Yousef Esmaeil Zadeh to discuss the issue as part of efforts to ensure the Philippines’ energy security in the face of soaring fuel prices driven by the raging war in the Middle East. The US-Israel attack on Iran triggered the war.

Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said President Marcos gave Lazaro the order to talk with Tehran, during a meeting of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) committee last Monday. “Yesterday, the UPLIFT had a meeting and the President gave that order to Secretary Tess Lazaro, and according to Secretary Tess Lazaro of DFA, she will talk to the ambassador of Iran, most probably tomorrow. If not tomorrow, by next week,” Castro said at a press briefing yesterday.

About 3,000 vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz each month, but the number has plummeted because of Iran’s threat to attack ships transiting through the maritime channel. Iran has effectively closed the strait since coming under attack from the US and Israel. According to a BBC report, 20 commercial ships have been attacked off the Iranian coast since the war started, although not all incidents took place in the direct vicinity of the strait.

Earlier this week, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian called on the Marcos administration to hold high-level discussions with Iran to secure the safe passage of oil vessels bound for the Philippines. At a recent press briefing, Castro said the DFA and the energy department were working to secure oil supply from alternative sources, including Canada, the US, South America and Russia. A shipment of more than 700,000 barrels of Russian crude oil has arrived in the Philippines.

Last Friday, Marcos declared the country has sufficient crude oil supply until the end of June.

Source: philstar.com