Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

A person waving an Iranian flag walks near tear gas fumes as protesters clash with Iraqi security forces as they try to approach a bridge leading to the Green Zone where the US embassy is located in Baghdad on March 1, 2026, the morning after the US and Israel targeted Iran. Hundreds of Iraqis, many dressed in black, attempted March 1, to storm Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, where the US embassy is located, after the killing of Iran's supreme leader. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

Article (news)

Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17724368823781772436880611.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A person waving an Iranian flag walks near tear gas fumes as protesters clash with Iraqi security forces as they try to approach a bridge leading to the Green Zone where the US embassy is located in Baghdad on March 1, 2026, the morning after the US and Israel targeted Iran. Hundreds of Iraqis, many dressed in black, attempted March 1, to storm Baghdad&#x27;s fortified Green Zone, where the US embassy is located, after the killing of Iran&#x27;s supreme leader<em>. Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday emphasized that Iran has no proxy state or non-state actor in Southeast Asia, underscoring that there is no credible threat to the Philippines amid tensions in the Middle East.</p><p>Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the conflict involving Iran remains regional in scope.</p><p>“What is happening in the Middle East right now is a regional conflict,” Trinidad told reporters in an interview on the sidelines of the Philippines-India defense industry forum in Makati City.</p><p>“Iran has been attacking the Gulf states within the range of her missile capability—2,000 kilometers. We are 7,500 kilometers away. So, wala tayong threat,” he explained.</p><p>Trinidad said Iran has no “proxy state or non-state actor” in Southeast Asia that could “be used as a staging area” for attacks.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/1/ph-groups-condemn-us-israel-attacks-on-iran-2106">PH groups condemn US, Israel attacks on Iran</a></div><div><br/></div><div><b>&#x27;THEY ARE NOT US BASES&#x27;</b></div><div><br/></div><p>The AFP official further clarified that even the longest-range missiles of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, including the Khorramshahr and Sejjil missile systems, have an estimated range of only about 2,000 to 2,500 kilometers—insufficient to reach targets far beyond the Gulf region.</p><p>“These will not even reach the US base in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean,” Trinidad noted. “Their capabilities are only designed for the Gulf states.”</p><p>Addressing alarmist claims circulating on social media suggesting Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites could be potential threats, Trinidad urged the public to rely only on verified information.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/2/no-credible-threat-to-edca-sites-in-ph-despite-middle-east-conflict-dnd-1417">No credible threat to EDCA sites in PH despite Middle East conflict—DND</a></div><p>“Let us be very clear. We should be able to identify the issues on hand so as not to be spreading information which are not verified and which could cause undue alarm sa ating mga kababayan,” he said.</p><p>Trinidad reiterated that EDCA sites are Philippine sovereign facilities.</p><p>“They are not US bases, just to put the record straight,” the official stressed.</p><p>He also cited the 2016 ruling of the Supreme Court, which upheld the constitutionality of the EDCA, affirming that all sites remain under Philippine ownership and control.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/3/2/iran-war-spreads-across-region-as-israel-strikes-hezbollah-1518">Iran war spreads across region as Israel strikes Hezbollah</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J-nyE5SeR-0?si=ILtKA4PS9Jy_K1hV" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>&#x27;</p>

<p>The Armed Forces of the Philippines said Iran has no “proxy state or non-state actor” in Southeast Asia that could “be used as a staging area” for attacks.</p>

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said Iran has no “proxy state or non-state actor” in Southeast Asia that could “be used as a staging area” for attacks.

AFP: Iran has no ‘proxy state’ in Southeast Asia, no credible threat to PH

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AFP: Iran has no ‘proxy state’ in Southeast Asia, no credible threat to PH

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 02, 2026 03:53 PM PHT

Read More:

proxy state

Philippines

Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement

EDCA sites

United States

Israel

Iran

conflict

Armed Forces of the Philippines

Middle East

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