Iran Says Philippine-Bound and Philippine-Flagged Ships Can Pass Strait of Hormuz

The core claim that Iran said Philippine-bound and Philippine-flagged ships can pass the Strait of Hormuz is strongly supported by both Reuters/Al Arabiya and Inquirer reporting on the Philippine DFA statement. 'Iran to allow safe passage of Philippine ships, fuel supply through Strait of Hormuz' and 'Iran assures safe passage of PH vessels via Strait of Hormuz – DFA' both state that Iran assured safe, unhindered passage for Philippine-flagged vessels, energy cargo, and Filipino seafarers. The timing claim is also supported: ABC/AP reports the Philippines declared a national energy emergency on 2026-03-24, and the assurance was reported on 2026-04-02, which is 9 days later. The Japan Times/Bloomberg independently matches the March 24 emergency timing and rationale. The only caveat is that the phrase 'during a severe domestic energy crisis' is more interpretive than verbatim in the fetched sources; what is directly supported is that the Philippines faced an imminent danger of critically low energy supply and declared a national energy emergency.