Tehran is ready to allow vessels bound for Japan to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after consultations with Tokyo, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with Kyodo news agency.
“We have not closed the strait. It is open”, the foreign minister said. The agency reported that consultations with Tokyo on the passage of vessels bound for Japan through the Strait of Hormuz have already begun.
Iranian officials have previously warned that they will not allow any oil cargoes related to the United States and its allies to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. A spokesman for the Central Command of the Iranian Armed Forces noted that Tehran will resort to any means, including controlling ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, to force "the enemy to surrender".
According to data from the analytical firm Lloyd's List Intelligence, approximately 90 vessels associated with Greece, Iran and China had passed through the strait as of March 18.
Tokyo has traditionally maintained friendly relations with Tehran. However, the Japanese authorities have consistently refrained from directly assessing the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. They have officially stated their position on "the inadmissibility of the Islamic Republic developing nuclear weapons" and have called for a diplomatic solution. Meanwhile, Japanese leaders have criticized Iran for retaliatory strikes against Gulf states.
Japan gets approximately 95% of its oil from Middle Eastern countries, with the majority of these supplies passing through the Strait of Hormuz.