Tess Lazaro

Lazaro serves as the Philippines' Secretary of Foreign Affairs (the title conventionally rendered as Foreign Minister in international reporting), gaining unexpected prominence on 2 April 2026 when a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi produced a bilateral agreement granting the Philippines toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for its flagged vessels. The Philippines became the first US treaty ally to cut a direct deal with Tehran since the blockade began, bypassing the collective posture Washington had sought to maintain.

The Philippines' economic exposure to Hormuz is acute: it is among the world's largest labour-exporting nations, with over two million overseas Filipino workers concentrated in Gulf States, and a significant portion of its remittance economy runs through supply chains dependent on Gulf energy. Manila's decision to negotiate independently reflected a judgement that the economic costs of the blockade outweighed the diplomatic costs of breaking alliance solidarity.

The Lazaro-Araghchi deal demonstrated Tehran's tactical use of economic diplomacy to fragment US-led Coalition cohesion. By peeling off treaty allies through bilateral exemptions, Iran was able to extract legitimacy from the international community while maintaining the Hormuz toll system as leverage. The episode placed Washington in the uncomfortable position of either sanctioning an ally or acquiescing to Iranian conditions.