Japan says no payment made to Iran for tanker passage through Strait of Hormuz

A Japanese oil tanker, Idemitsu Maru, passed through the Strait of Hormuz without making any payment to Iran, according to Japan’s Nikkei newspaper, citing unnamed sources.

One of the sources in Tokyo said the vessel’s safe passage was secured through diplomatic contacts between the Japanese government and Iranian authorities.

Earlier, Iranian media reported that the tanker, owned by Idemitsu Kosan and carrying around 2 million barrels of oil, had transited the strait with Iranian assistance.

The ship had reportedly been anchored off the coast of Saudi Arabia since late February.

Approximately one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s standoff with the US over its reopening continues.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov