Misuari asked for Iranian aid in fisheries, agriculture, irrigation, road-building, and construction. Velayati urged other local Muslim states to help the Philippine Muslims with reconstruction, and invited Misuari to Tehran for further discussions of Iranian aid. Yet despite all this Iranian-Philippines ties are close. In all, seven agreements on trade and cultural cooperation were signed, and a joint Ministerial Commission on Economic Cooperation established. The two summits were followed up by the visit to Manila of an Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister in 1996.
Economic factors are predominantly in play.
One of the key Tehran-Manila agreements is a guarantee by Tehran that the Philippines will receive a steady supply of oil and oil products. But there are also security reasons for Manila's rapprochement with Iran. The Iranians would also not give further aid and comfort to extremist groups like Abu Sayyaf. There was a further order from Ramos that when alien Muslims had to be arrested for supporting Abu Sayyaf, countries of origin were not to be named. Thailand has also been at the mercy of Iranian terrorism and separatists in its south.