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Report: Iran Ready to Let Japanese Vessels Transit Hormuz

Cargo ships sail in the Arabian Gulf towards Strait of Hormuz in the United Arab Emirates, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP)
Cargo ships sail in the Arabian Gulf towards Strait of Hormuz in the United Arab Emirates, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP)
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Report: Iran Ready to Let Japanese Vessels Transit Hormuz

Cargo ships sail in the Arabian Gulf towards Strait of Hormuz in the United Arab Emirates, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP)
Cargo ships sail in the Arabian Gulf towards Strait of Hormuz in the United Arab Emirates, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP)

Iran is ready to let Japanese-related vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies, Kyodo news reported, citing Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.

Tehran has started talks with Tokyo, including with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, about possibly opening the strait, Araqchi told the Japanese news agency in a phone interview on Friday.

Japan's foreign and trade ministries and the Prime Minister's Office did not pick up calls from Reuters on Saturday seeking comment on ‌the report.

"Iran ‌is, of course, ready to support ‌the ⁠passing of Japan-related vessels ⁠through the Strait of Hormuz," if Japan seeks its reopening of the strait, Araqchi told Kyodo.

Japan gets around 90% of its oil shipments via the strait, which Tehran has largely closed during the US-Israeli war on Iran. A spike in global oil prices sparked by the war, which enters ⁠its fourth week on Saturday, has prompted ‌Japan and other countries to ‌release oil from their reserves.

US President Donald Trump met Japanese Prime ‌Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday, urging her to "step up" ‌as he presses allies - so far unsuccessfully - to send warships to help open the strait.

Takaichi told reporters after the Washington summit that she had briefed Trump on what support Japan could and could ‌not provide in the strait under its laws.

Japan's actions are limited under its postwar ⁠pacifist constitution, but ⁠2015 security legislation allows Japan to use force overseas if an attack, including on a close security partner, threatens Japan's survival and no other means are available to address it.

Araqchi, a former ambassador to Japan, said Tokyo has a friendly relationship with Tehran, expressing hope that it would play a role in ending what he called unjustifiable and illegal "invasion" of his country.

The US does not seem ready to open conversations, Araqchi said, adding that Iran wants an end to the war, not a ceasefire, and is seeking a commitment that it would not be attacked.

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World

South Korea to Investigate Ship Debris from Hormuz Attack

This undated handout photograph released by South Korea's Foreign Ministry on May 10, 2026, shows a damaged part of the South Korean cargo ship HMM Namu docked at a port in Dubai. (Handout / South Korean Foreign Ministry / AFP)
This undated handout photograph released by South Korea's Foreign Ministry on May 10, 2026, shows a damaged part of the South Korean cargo ship HMM Namu docked at a port in Dubai. (Handout / South Korean Foreign Ministry / AFP)
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South Korea to Investigate Ship Debris from Hormuz Attack

This undated handout photograph released by South Korea's Foreign Ministry on May 10, 2026, shows a damaged part of the South Korean cargo ship HMM Namu docked at a port in Dubai. (Handout / South Korean Foreign Ministry / AFP)
This undated handout photograph released by South Korea's Foreign Ministry on May 10, 2026, shows a damaged part of the South Korean cargo ship HMM Namu docked at a port in Dubai. (Handout / South Korean Foreign Ministry / AFP)

Debris from a fire-damaged cargo ship said to have been attacked by unidentified aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz arrived in South Korea on Friday for investigation, the foreign ministry said.

Iran has largely blocked shipping through the vital strait since conflict broke out with the United States and Israel on February 28 and Washington blockaded Tehran's ports.

HMM Namu was struck by "two unidentified aircraft" on May 4, hitting the outer plate of the vessel's port-side ballast tank near the stern and causing a fire in the engine room, Seoul, a US ally, said at a press briefing on Sunday.

The Panama-flagged cargo vessel, operated by South Korean shipping firm HMM Co., had arrived in Dubai last week for investigation.

Its debris "arrived in South Korea by air following consultations with the UAE government" on Friday, Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The vessel debris is "scheduled to undergo detailed analysis by a specialized institution", it added without providing further detail.

Seoul said the aircraft involved in the attack "were captured on CCTV footage, but there are limitations in identifying the exact type, launch origin and physical size of the objects".

A senior government official told local media this week that the "likelihood that the (attacking) entity was someone other than Iran is low."

Tehran has denied responsibility, with its embassy in Seoul posting a statement on its website in the days following the attack, saying it "firmly rejects and categorically denies any allegations regarding the involvement" of its forces.

Seoul strongly condemned the attack and said it hopes to identify those behind it through a thorough investigation.

South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy, relies heavily on Middle Eastern fuel imports, most of which transited through the Strait of Hormuz during peacetime.

As a major petrochemicals producer and refiner, the closure has forced South Korea to impose a fuel price cap for the first time in nearly 30 years.

World

Ministers Adopt New Interpretation of Migrants’ Rights in European Legal System

Participants attend the opening session of the 135th Ministerial Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP)
Participants attend the opening session of the 135th Ministerial Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP)
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Ministers Adopt New Interpretation of Migrants’ Rights in European Legal System

Participants attend the opening session of the 135th Ministerial Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP)
Participants attend the opening session of the 135th Ministerial Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP)

European ministers adopted ‌a new interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights on Friday that could facilitate some migrant deportations, including to third country "return hubs", but which critics say will weaken human rights protections.

The declaration comes amid complaints from member states in recent years that the European Court of Human Rights has prevented governments from forcibly removing foreign nationals convicted of crimes or refused asylum seekers.

The declaration adopted at the annual session of the Council of Europe's Committee of ministers in Moldova qualifies the rights under article 3 and article 8 of the convention, which relate to protection ‌from torture and ‌inhuman and degrading treatment and the right to ‌a ⁠private and family ⁠life.

It approves cooperation with third countries on immigration, including on "return hubs", provided that the countries respect the human rights convention.

It states that prohibition from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment is absolute, but that "the assessment of the minimum level of severity of the ill-treatment that constitutes inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is relative and depends on all the circumstances ⁠of the case".

Veronika Fikfak, Professor of Human Rights ‌and International Law at University College London, ‌said that the declaration's interpretation of article 3 was a significant development and would ‌dilute protections from torture.

"It says (prohibition of torture and inhuman or ‌degrading treatment) is absolute, but then they use words to balance and offer a relative interpretation, but this is inconsistent with the heart of Article 3 - an absolute right cannot contain any element of relativity or balance," she said.

On ‌article 8, the declaration said states can expel foreign nationals in spite of their right to a ⁠private and ⁠family life so long as it is balanced with a legitimate aim, such as national security, and that the European Court of Human Rights would require "strong reasons" to override a state's decision.

The 46-member Council of Europe was set up after World War Two to uphold human rights and the rule of law.

Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset welcomed the declaration and said it would guide the work of the council and of national authorities and domestic courts.

"We have been able to bring together countries across Europe, with different views and experiences to agree a common position on how the system should work best, notably in the challenging context of migration," he said in a statement.

World

Araghchi Says Iran Has 'No Trust' in the US, Will Negotiate Only If it is Serious

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives for a meeting during the two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives for a meeting during the two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
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Araghchi Says Iran Has 'No Trust' in the US, Will Negotiate Only If it is Serious

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives for a meeting during the two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives for a meeting during the two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Tehran ‌has "no trust" in the US and is interested in negotiating with Washington only if it is serious, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday, as talks on ending the war remained on hold. All vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz except those at war with Tehran, Araghchi told reporters in New Delhi during a visit to attend the BRICS foreign ministers' ‌meeting, adding that vessels ‌wanting to transit should coordinate ‌with ⁠its navy. 

The situation ⁠around the key conduit was "very complicated", he said. 

Iran effectively shut the strait, which earlier handled about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supply, to most shipping traffic after its war with the US and Israel erupted in February. 

Washington and ⁠Tehran announced a ceasefire last month ‌but have been struggling ‌to thrash out a permanent peace pact. Talks, mediated by ‌Pakistan, have been suspended since Iran and the ‌US each rejected the other's most recent proposals last week. 

"Contradictory messages" have made us reluctant about the real intention of the Americans on negotiations, Araghchi said, adding ‌that the mediation process by Pakistan has not failed but is in "difficulty". 

Iran is ⁠trying ⁠to keep the ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance but is also prepared to go back to fighting, he said. 

The issues holding up negotiations between the two sides include Iran's nuclear ambitions and its control of the Hormuz. Araghchi’s statement on Friday came hours after US President Donald Trump said his patience with Iran was running out and agreed in talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping that Tehran must reopen the strait.