On April 28 (local time), according to Nikkei, the Japanese government did not pay any fees to Iran related to the passage of the oil tanker Idemitsu Maru through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to sources from the Japanese government, the permission for the Idemitsu Maru to move through the strait is the result of direct negotiations between Tokyo and Tehran. A senior official said that this process was initiated by the Japanese side and did not incur any payment to the Iranian side.
Previously, Tasnim News Agency reported that the Idemitsu Maru ship passed through the Strait of Hormuz with support from Iran. The ship owned by Idemitsu Kosan was transporting about 2 million barrels of oil. According to this source, the ship anchored off the coast of Saudi Arabia from the end of February, in the context of the maritime security situation in the region being volatile, before continuing its journey through the strait.
The ship having to wait for a long time shows the difficulties for energy transportation through the region. The Strait of Hormuz is an important shipping route for global oil exports, and any disruption here could affect the energy supply chain.
The context of the incident takes place during the escalating tensions in the region. On February 28, the US and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran, in which several major cities, including the capital Tehran, were attacked. After that, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced a retaliatory operation, targeting targets in Israel.
According to previous sources, some US military bases in the Middle East region were also attacked during the conflict. In addition, Iran announced the closure of the Ormuz Strait to ships related to the US, Israel and countries supporting military actions against this country.
During the tense period, there were reports of attacks on some oil tankers when passing through the strait without permission from Iran. On March 25, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran allowed ships from several countries, including Russia, India, Iraq, China and Pakistan, to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
