Iran Ready to Escort Ships Through Strait of Hormuz, Japanese Foreign Minister Says This

Japan is not considering requesting Iran to allow Tokyo’s tanker ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz amid the Middle East conflict. Tehran has stated it is ready to escort Japanese ships across the strategic strait.

According to AFP on Monday (23/3/2026), Japan relies on crude oil imports from the Middle East, much of which passes through the strait located in the Persian Gulf.

However, Iran has effectively closed the strait in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks, forcing countries dependent on the shipping route to seek alternative paths and utilise oil reserves.

When asked whether the government would press Iran to allow Japanese ships through Hormuz, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Sunday (22/3) during a Fuji Television programme that “for now, we are not considering that”.

His comments came after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in a telephone interview with Kyodo News on Friday (20/3) that Tehran is prepared to ensure safe shipping lanes for Japan.

“They just need to contact us so we can discuss how this transit can be carried out,” Araghchi added.

Motegi spoke with his Iranian counterpart Araghchi on Tuesday (17/3), but he told Fuji Television that his counterpart made no mention of assistance for Japanese ships.

“Maritime safety is very important. That’s what we discussed,” Motegi said.

In the Kyodo News interview, Araghchi denied that the route was closed and insisted “from our perspective, the strait is open”.

“It is only closed to ships owned by our enemies—countries that attack us. For other countries, their ships can pass through the strait,” Araghchi said according to a transcript of the Farsi-language interview posted on his Telegram channel.

Last week, Tokyo announced it would begin releasing its strategic oil reserves, which are among the largest in the world.