Marcos on US-Iran deal: 'Any step towards peace is a good step'

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday expressed hope that the deal between the US and Iran seeking to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz will come to fruition, resulting in lasting peace and economies eventually returning to a normal state.

Marcos said this in a joint press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Malacañang Palace, in response to the memorandum of understanding reportedly agreed on by US and Iranian officials to settle a nearly four-month war. US President Donald Trump said the MOU has already been signed by US and Iran and the text would be made public "sometime in the very near future."

“I would like to agree with the observation of President Steinmeier—any step towards peace is a good step and that is hopefully what we are observing here,” Marcos said.

“That is what we have been hoping for since the day after the war started,” he added.

Marcos stressed that the effects of the conflict on the Philippines and Germany are reflected in every country around the world, and such “instability” makes life harder for the people.

“Therefore, we await with bated breath the actual finalization of that agreement. Again, it is some of the best news that we could hope for if indeed it comes to fruition,” he explained.

Regardless, he said he is “cautiously optimistic,” considering that similar plans have been declared before but did not actually materialize.

“We have unfortunately heard these proclamations before and they have not come true. But we’re hoping that this one is the one that will come true,” Marcos said.

“So we hope, we pray that this is the case, that it is over, the war is over, and it will be a lasting peace,” he added.

Marcos also admitted that it will take some time for countries to adjust to the so-called “new normal” if ever the conflict finally comes to an end.

“We will start to once again bring our economies to a normal state and be able to support our people properly, and without suffering the vagaries of price rises that come with such a petroleum crisis,” he said. —KG, GMA News