TOKYO - A ship stranded in the Persian Gulf with three Japanese nationals on board sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday.
The vessel was the last of the ships carrying Japanese crew in the gulf to exit the sea area after the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran launched in late February resulted in the effective blockade of the key shipping lane, he said.
Following "arrangements" with the Iranian side for its passage, the vessel is now heading for Japan, Motegi told a press conference.
The transit comes after the U.S. military announced on Thursday the lifting of the closure of the strait following Washington and Tehran's signing the previous day of a 14-point memorandum of understanding to end their war.
"We will continue to make every diplomatic effort toward the swift restoration of free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and an early realization of passage through the strait for the remaining 37 Japan-related vessels" still stranded in the Persian Gulf, Motegi said.
Resource-poor Japan, a close U.S. security ally which has traditionally maintained friendly relations with Iran, has been heavily reliant on imports of Middle East crude oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global energy supplies.
