Tehran is ready to discuss passage through the strait of Hormuz with Japan and other countries that have not attacked Iran, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi has told Japan's Kyodo News, according to a post on his Telegram channel.
"We have not closed this strait," Araqchi said. "From our perspective, the strait is open. It is closed only to the ships of our enemies — the countries that are attacking us. For other countries, ships can pass through the strait. Of course, there is a security issue. We are ready, if contacted, to provide safe passage for them. We will talk with them to find a way to ensure safe transit. We are prepared to provide safe passage. They only need to contact us so that we can discuss how this route can be arranged." Araqchi added that he "certainly" meant Japan when referring to countries whose ships could pass through the strait.
Japanese shipowners maintain some of the world's strictest safety standards and were among the first to halt operations in the Mideast Gulf when the war began at the end of February, as well as in the Red Sea when attacks on shipping by Yemen's Houthi rebels started in 2023.
In an earlier interview on 15 March with CBS' Face the Nation, Araqchi said Tehran had been approached by "a number of countries" seeking safe passage through the strait. "This is up to our military to decide," he said.
In practice, most tankers that have transited the strait in recent weeks have been Iranian. The 296,068 dwt Cuma left the Mideast Gulf fully laden and is signalling China as its destination, according to trade analytics platform Vortexa. It is unclear when the vessel crossed the strait, but its current position suggests it departed Iran after the US–Israeli strikes on 28 February. The 317,534 dwt Stream (Kharg Island–Ningbo), the 317,536 dwt Serena (Kharg Island–Dongjiakou), and the 298,414 dwt Nora (Kharg Island–Ningbo) have also recently passed Hormuz laden with Iranian crude, Vortexa data show.
Late on Friday, the US issued a sanctions waiver for Iranian crude, including crude aboard sanctioned vessels, allowing the sale, delivery and offloading of Iranian oil loaded on or before 20 March until 19 April.
As most other Mideast Gulf crude shipments remain unable to pass through the strait, Asian buyers are increasingly turning to another recently issued OFAC waiver covering Russian crude.
The first Russian cargo since 2021 departed for the Philippines earlier this week. The 115,191 dwt Sara Sky left Kozmino on 16 March carrying Espo Blend crude and is expected to arrive in Bataan on 23 March, according to Kpler and Vortexa. A second Espo cargo left Kozmino for Bataan on 17 March aboard the 109,672 dwt Tiger Wings, although Vortexa notes that Bataan is listed only as a "declared destination".
