A tanker paid 2 million U.S. dollars in tolls, and Japanese ships were allowed to pass. Did Takayama Hayato pay the money?
Just as Takayama Hayato had barely arrived in the United States, news came that Iran had allowed a Japanese ship to pass.
On Friday local time, which was the second day of Takayama Hayato's visit to the United States, the Iranian foreign minister told Japanese media that, after negotiations between both sides, Japanese ships could pass normally.
The Iranian foreign minister reiterated Iran's position, stating that Iran has no intention of blocking the strait, nor is it targeting all ships. Only ships from enemy countries, including the United States and its allied countries that support it, are not allowed to pass. The reason non-enemy ships are detained is because it takes time to confirm the identity of the ship and negotiate with relevant countries.
It implies that allowing the Japanese ship to pass is just the beginning. More ships from other countries will be allowed to pass next, as long as they do not assist Iran's enemies, there is no need to worry about being unable to pass.
At the same time, an authoritative maritime media outlet revealed an inside story, saying that a recent oil tanker paid 2 million U.S. dollars to Iran and was then released. If the information is true, this would mean that Iran has activated a ship verification mechanism, allowing ships passing through the strait to go under certain conditions.
Combining these two pieces of news, one might draw a conclusion: Japan may have reached some kind of deal with Iran, so the Japanese ships were allowed to pass.
The conditions Japan offered might be a toll fee or a promise. It should be noted that even when directly questioned by Trump, Takayama Hayato did not back down on the issue of escorting. Instead, she only symbolically issued a statement with a few European countries, promising to protect passing ships, without explicitly stating that the Self-Defense Forces would be sent to the strait for escort duties.
Even if Takayama was willing to grovel before Trump, she would still have to be extremely cautious on this issue. After all, Japan really relies on Middle Eastern oil.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1860256811213895/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.