Japan’s foreign minister says Tokyo is not currently considering asking Iran for safe passage for its tankers through the Strait of Hormuz
TOKYO: Japan is not currently considering asking Iran to allow its tankers safe passage through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi made the statement following an offer of assistance from Tehran.
Motegi said on a Fuji Television programme that “for the time being, we are not thinking about that”. His comment addressed whether Tokyo would urge Iran to let Japanese ships transit the strait, which Iran has effectively closed.
The closure is retaliation for US-Israeli strikes, disrupting a key shipping lane for Middle East crude oil. Japan is heavily dependent on these imports, most of which transit the strait.
The minister’s statement came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was ready to ensure safe passage for Japan. Araghchi made the offer in a telephone interview with Kyodo News.
“They only need to contact us so we can discuss how this transit can take place,” Araghchi added. A Farsi transcript of the interview was posted on his Telegram channel.
Motegi confirmed he spoke with Araghchi earlier in the week. He told Fuji Television that his counterpart did not mention helping Japanese ships during their conversation.
“Safety of navigation is extremely important. That’s what we spoke about,” Motegi said. In his Kyodo interview, Araghchi denied the passage was completely closed.
“From our perspective, the strait is open,” Araghchi insisted. He stated it is only closed to ships belonging to countries that attack Iran.
“For other countries, (their) vessels can pass through the strait,” he said. Last week, Tokyo announced it was beginning to release its strategic oil reserves.
Japan holds some of the world’s largest strategic oil reserves. The move comes as countries scramble for alternative routes amid the Hormuz disruption.
