Manila, Philippines – Iran is unlikely to launch air strikes against the country, a long-time US ally, with Tehran’s missile weapons system capable of targeting within a 2,000-kilometer range at most, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Monday, March 2.
The military made the remarks asking the public to remain calm and filter alarmist information – one of them emanating from the son of former President Rodrigo Duterte who claimed the Philippine military bases covered under the Philippine-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) could end up among the targets of Iran’s counterattacks.
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, navy spokesperson, said hostilities should be contained within Gulf States and that the Southeast Asian country is not a proxy in the Iran-US-Israeli row.
“There has been no monitored credible threat against the Philippines. First and foremost what is happening in the Middle East is a regional conflict. Iran has been attacking the Gulf states within the range of her missile capability – 2,000 kilometers. We are 7,500 kilometers away,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the India-Philippines Defense Industry Seminar & Exhibition in Makati City.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard missile range would not even reach the strategic US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean – the Diego Garcia, he added.
Gulf states convened over the weekend to craft a unified response, pledging to defend themselves against Iranian attacks.
“EDCA sites are Philippine-sovereign facilities on Philippine bases or areas. They are not US bases,” Trinidad said, adding that the military sites are used for humanitarian response logistics and joint drills with Philippine defense allies, not for launching offensive attacks.
“We call on the public to stay calm, remain discerning, and rely on official channels for accurate information,” the AFP said in a separate statement.
