Iran ready to allow Japanese-linked vessels to pass through Strait of Hormuz, Araghchi says

By Reuters 21 March 2026, 4:30 am

Edit

Smoke billows from an oil refinery in Kawasaki, southwest of Tokyo, Japan, October 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)

TOKYO, Japan — Iran is ready to let Japanese-related vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies, Kyodo news reports, citing Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Tehran has started talks with Tokyo about possibly opening the strait, Araqchi tells the Japanese news agency in a phone interview.

Japan depends on the Middle East for around 95 percent of its oil supplies and gets around 90% of its oil shipments via the strait, which Tehran has largely closed during the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The three-week-old war and subsequent surge in oil prices prompted Japan and other countries to release oil from their reserves.