Iran says ready to help Japan ships through Hormuz Strait

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Araghchi

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Tehran is willing to help Japanese ships transit the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint for global oil supplies, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Kyodo News in an interview published Saturday.

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Japan depends on crude oil imports from the Middle East, most of which transits the strait, located in the Gulf.

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Iran has effectively closed the strait in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes, sending countries reliant on the shipping lane scrambling for alternative routes and tapping reserves.

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In a telephone interview with Kyodo News on Friday, Araghchi denied the passage was closed, insisting instead that countries attacking Iran face restrictions, while others were being offered assistance.

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“We have not closed this strait. From our perspective, the strait is open,” Araghchi said according to a Farsi transcript of the interview posted on his Telegram channel.

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“It is only closed to ships belonging to our enemies — countries that attack us. For other countries, (their) vessels can pass through the strait.”

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He added that Iran was prepared to ensure safe passage for Japan. “They only need to contact us so we can discuss how this transit can take place,” Araghchi added.

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Japan, the world’s fourth-ranking economy is the fifth-biggest importer of oil, with 95 percent of it coming from the Middle East and 70 percent passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

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On Monday, Tokyo said it was beginning the release of its strategic oil reserves, among the world’s largest.

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The country holds reserves equivalent to 254 days of domestic consumption.

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Members of the International Energy Agency agreed on March 11 to tap oil stockpiles to cushion the surge in prices caused by the war in the Middle East — by far the largest-ever response of its kind.

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