Iran Aims to Reopen Strait of Hormuz for Japanese Vessels Amid Global Oil Tensions

Iran has expressed readiness to allow Japanese-related vessels to transit the crucial Strait of Hormuz, according to Kyodo news, citing Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. This move is significant given the strait's importance to global oil supplies.

Talks have commenced between Tehran and Tokyo about opening the strait, Araqchi said in a phone interview. The Japanese foreign and trade ministries and the Prime Minister's Office did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment this weekend.

As the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran intensifies, causing hikes in global oil prices, Japan, which depends on the strait for 90% of its oil, has been compelled, along with other nations, to tap into oil reserves. However, Japan's involvement is limited by its postwar pacifist constitution, though 2015 laws permit overseas force if a security partner's survival is threatened.