Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday that free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be ensured without additional costs such as transit fees, urging Tehran to engage in careful discussions with the international community over the key crude oil transport waterway.
Japanese PM Takaichi raises Hormuz transit fees, Houthi attacks and detained NHK journalist in call with Iranian president
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday that free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be ensured without additional costs such as transit fees, urging Tehran to engage in careful discussions with the international community over the key crude oil transport waterway.
The call lasted 20 minutes and was the fourth phone conversation between the two leaders since the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran in late February.
Takaichi also raised concerns about the Bab el-Mandeb Strait near the Red Sea, another key maritime chokepoint, where the Houthi militant group — which has ties to Iran and is based in Yemen — is reportedly attacking cargo ships. She called on Pezeshkian to urge the Houthis to exercise restraint, citing energy security concerns.
According to Takaichi, Pezeshkian said Iran is working to resolve the Houthi situation through dialogue with Saudi Arabia.
Takaichi reiterated that easing military tensions involving Iran and stabilizing the situation as early as possible remains important, and expressed hope that a final agreement between Iran and the United States — including on Tehran's nuclear issue — would be reached promptly.
The Japanese prime minister also asked Pezeshkian for a swift resolution regarding a Japanese national believed to be the Tehran bureau chief of public broadcaster Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK), who was detained by Iranian authorities and released on bail in April.
- No direct quotes from President Pezeshkian were included in the source; his positions are relayed solely through Takaichi's characterization of the call.
- The nature and terms of the Iran–Saudi Arabia dialogue Pezeshkian referenced are not described.
- The specific charges or legal basis for the detention of the NHK bureau chief by Iranian authorities are not stated.
- The current status of US–Iran nuclear negotiations is not detailed beyond Takaichi's expression of hope for an agreement.
- The substance or current stage of any proposed Hormuz transit fee arrangement is not explained.
- The NHK bureau chief is not named in the source.
Read the original at The Japan Times