Iran is ready to allow ships allied with Japan to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which the country has closed to most nations around the world, Kyodo reports, citing Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
According to a news agency report, Tehran is in talks with Tokyo about the possible opening of the strait – a vital artery for global oil supplies. Araghchi revealed this in a phone interview with Kyodo on Friday.
Neither Japan nor Iran have officially released a statement confirming the development.
Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has sent the world into a global oil supply shock, described as the worst in decades, as the Middle East conflict nearly enters its fourth week.
Most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been halted since early March because the US attacked Iran earlier that month.
Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is dropping drastically
While Iran has maintained that the Strait of Hormuz – a waterway for global oil and gas shipping that supplies about a fifth of the world’s oil – is open to all but the US and its allies, traffic along the route has dropped drastically. About 90 vessels passed through the strait between March 1 and 15, according to maritime data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence, cited by The Associated Press. According to the Al Jazeera report, the ships were approved on a case-by-case basis.
The 90 ships that passed through the Strait of Hormuz during that time were mostly identified as India, Pakistan or China, according to an Al Jazeera report. However, the numbers have slowed due to the increased risk of attacks.
Which countries can use the Strait of Hormuz?
Here is a list of countries that have successfully put their vessels through the Strait of Hormuz as the blanket blockade threatens an energy crisis around the world –
