Tehran is willing to help Japanese ships transit the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint for global oil supplies, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Kyodo News in an interview published Saturday.Japan depends on crude oil imports from the Middle East, most of which transits the strait, located in the Gulf. For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Iran has effectively closed the strait in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes, sending countries reliant on the shipping lane scrambling for alternative routes and tapping reserves.In a telephone interview with Kyodo News on Friday, Araghchi denied the passage was closed, insisting instead that countries attacking Iran face restrictions, while others were being offered assistance.“We have not closed this strait. From our perspective, the strait is open,” Araghchi said according to a Farsi transcript of the interview posted on his Telegram channel. “It is only closed to ships belonging to