Iran is willing to help Japanese ships sail a vital route for global fuel supplies, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Kyodo News in an interview published on Saturday.

Japan depends on crude oil imports from the Middle East, most of which transits the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has effectively closed the strait in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes, sending countries reliant on the shipping lane scrambling for alternative routes and tapping reserves.

In a telephone interview with the Japanese news agency on Friday, Araghchi denied Iran had closed off the passageway, insisting instead that countries attacking his country faced restrictions, while others were being offered assistance.

"We have not closed the strait. It is open," he said.

He added that Iran was prepared to ensure safe passage for Japan.

The world's number-four economy is the fifth-biggest importer of oil, with 95 percent of it coming from the Middle East and 70 percent passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

On Thursday, Japan was one of six major international powers that said they were ready to "contribute to appropriate efforts" to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

But they have not formally committed to any mission to work in the crucial waterway.

That came after Tokyo had said on Monday it was beginning the release of its strategic oil reserves – among the world's largest. The country holds reserves equivalent to 254 days of domestic consumption.

Members of the International Energy Agency agreed on March 11 to tap oil stockpiles to cushion the surge in prices caused by the war in the Middle East – by far the largest-ever response of its kind. (AFP)



Edited by Robert Kemp