Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the country has reached an agreement with Iran to use the Strait of Hormuz, a rare concession that is expected to ease the energy crunch in the South-east Asian nation.
The move puts Thailand on a list that includes Bangladesh, China, India, Iraq, Malaysia, Pakistan and Russia as countries that Tehran has designated as "friendly". Japan is also in talks with Iran.
“An agreement has been reached to allow Thai oil tankers to transit safely through the Strait of Hormuz,” Mr Charnvirakul said on Saturday.
Iran's military has effectively imposed a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, choking oil and gas shipments from Gulf countries as it continues missile and drone strikes across the region amid its war with the US and Iran.
A fifth of the world's crude shipments normally pass through the waterway.
The Islamic Republic holds significant leverage over the strait, and has threatened to attack vessels that it considers hostile to its regime, particularly those linked to the US and Israel.
The waterway has become a focal point of the war, with the US demanding its reopening under the threat of more strikes on Iran, which in turn has threatened countermeasures.
That has severely disrupted the flow of petroleum shipments, hitting net energy importers the most, particularly those in Asia. The Philippines was the first country to declare a state of emergency due to the crisis.
Thailand, meanwhile, has taken a number of measures to stem the effects of the crude shortage, including extending support to farmers and other vulnerable groups, providing friendly loans to small businesses, and encouraging the use of other fuel sources.
Bangkok has also banned all oil exports, except to Cambodia and Laos. Thailand, as of 2024, has oil production of nearly 418,000 barrels per day, which is 31st in the world, and has the 55th-largest crude reserves with almost 240 million barrels, data from Worldometers shows.
The agreement between the two countries also comes after a Thailand-flagged ship, the Mayuree Naree, was attacked earlier this month. The vessel ran aground off Iran's Qeshm Island, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on Friday.
