Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow has said that the US has not offered any direct help to Bangkok, as the long-time US ally struggles with economic damage amid the Iran war, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
In a weekend interview with the Post, Sihasak said that the officials of the administration of US President Donald Trump are “aware that there are consequences from the war.”
“But they haven’t come out to talk to us about how they can help. They haven’t approached us directly saying, ‘Oh, we understand that you have to endure the impact, and we can help you out,'” Sihasak said.
The only gesture, he added, was Trump’s offer for countries in need of fuel to buy American oil and gas. “Buy oil from the United States of America,” Trump said during a prime-time address this month. “We have plenty.”
Sihasak said that Thailand’s position is that “this war should not have taken place in the first place.”
“We don’t want to condemn the US directly. But this is something that should not have started,” he added.
Thailand, which hosts logistics and refueling hubs for US military forces in Asia, has struggled to compete against wealthier countries to afford replacements for its shipments of fuel and fertilizer stuck in the Middle East.
According to a tally by Anadolu, at least 27 people from Asian countries have been killed or remain missing, including three from Thailand, since the conflict launched by Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran began on Feb. 28.