LONDON/KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (Reuters) – An oil tanker carrying Iraqi crude has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, near the Iranian coast. This comes a day after Iran announced that Iraq would not face any restrictions when using this crucial sea route, according to data from LSEG and Kpler.

The tanker, named Ocean Thunder, loaded approximately 1 million barrels of Basrah Heavy crude on March 2 and is expected to unload its cargo in Pengerang, Malaysia, around mid-April, as per Kpler data.

This tanker is chartered by Petco, a subsidiary of Malaysian state energy company Petronas. It is one of seven vessels linked to Malaysia that have received permission from Iran to transit the strait, according to two sources who spoke to Reuters but wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the information.

Requests for comments from Malaysia's foreign ministry and Petronas went unanswered outside of office hours.

Last month, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim mentioned that Iran would permit Malaysian vessels to transit the strait following discussions with Iranian officials.

The Malaysian foreign minister subsequently confirmed that seven ships associated with Malaysian companies, including Petronas, Vantris Energy, and MISC, were awaiting clearance to pass through the waterway, as reported by the state news agency.

Iran had previously restricted access to the strait, a key route for approximately 20% of the world's oil and LNG, in response to U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that began in late February.

Recently, Iran stated it would allow vessels that are not connected to the U.S. or Israel to pass through. In the past few days, three tankers operated by Oman, a French-owned container ship, and a Japanese-owned gas carrier have successfully crossed the strait.

On Wednesday, Malaysia confirmed that Iran would let its ships navigate the strait without any toll fees.

However, Iran has indicated that it might impose charges on vessels passing through this key waterway.