Philippines not concerned Iran war will distract US from Indo-Pacific region, Defense secretary says

Philippines not concerned Iran war will distract US from Indo-Pacific region, Defense secretary says

The Philippines is not worried about any reduction in US deterrence capabilities in the Indo-Pacific due to the war in the Middle East, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on April 28, 2026 although he warned China could try and seize any perceived opening. He made the comments during an interview with Reuters amid annual joint military drills with the United States that have drawn the largest ever number of participating countries, including Japanese combat troops for the first time. China's recent actions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait were 'not surprising,' Teodoro added, saying Beijing looked to take advantage when it thought rival powers were preoccupied elsewhere. Manila and Beijing have been locked in a series of maritime confrontations in the South China Sea in recent years, which China claims almost entirely as its own despite a 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated those claims.

REUTERS VIDEO

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