The Japanese government has categorically denied reports suggesting that financial payments were made to Iran in exchange for allowing the oil tanker "Idemitsu Maru" to cross the Strait of Hormuz. High-ranking government sources confirmed that the tanker's passage was the result of direct diplomatic negotiations between Tokyo and Tehran, stressing that no fees were paid for the transit. The tanker, owned by the Japanese oil refining company "Idemitsu Kosan" and carrying two million barrels of oil, had been anchored off the coast of Saudi Arabia since late February for security reasons. This followed escalating military tensions in the region and Tehran's decision to close the strait to uncoordinated vessels, before Iran later announced it would allow the passage of ships from friendly nations.