Manila Rejects Claims Iran Could Target Joint US-Philippine Bases

Jerusalem, 26 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Manila (PNA) – Claims that the Philippines will be targeted by Iran due to the presence of Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites are “false narratives,” a ranking military official said.

In an interview with reporters, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea and Inspector General, Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said these reports do not give a “clear picture of the situation.”

“Number one, the conflict in the Middle East is regional in nature involving the Gulf States, Iran, US, and Israel,” he stressed, adding that the Philippines is not a party to the conflict.

Trinidad, for point number two, explained that EDCA sites are Philippine bases and not American ones.

And, “number three, activities on our EDCA sites are [meant] to strengthen the defense capability of the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] and our HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster response) capability,” Trinidad said.

Likewise, the Navy official said Iran’s most powerful missile systems, which have an estimated range of around 2,500 km., do not have the capability to reach Southeast Asia.

Air distance between the Philippines and Iran is between 7,182 km. and 7,675 km.

“There is no truth to claims that EDCA sites could be possible targets of Iran as these are too far away even for their most powerful missile systems, these cannot reached Southeast Asia,” Trinidad noted.

Signed in 2014, EDCA provides for Filipino and American soldiers to train together and enables US troops to build facilities and pre-position supplies and equipment inside nine bases on Philippine soil.