Re-published story from Friday without changes to the text

By Jonathan Saul and Parisa Hafizi

DUBAI, July 3 (Reuters) - Tehran has begun talks to sell oil to Japanese companies, three Iranian and Western sources said, as potential buyers seek longer-term exemptions from U.S. sanctions and assurances of safe shipping conditions in the Gulf.

The waiver, which is part of the 60-day peace talks between Tehran and Washington, was issued on June 22 and is set to expire on August 21.

Two Iranian sources said that three Japanese buyers are considering purchasing Iranian crude oil, in what would be their first potential imports since 2019. They requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

A separate, well-informed Western source stated that Japanese and Iranian officials held preliminary talks regarding potential oil sales.

An official at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which oversees fuel supply infrastructure, said he was unaware of any such moves.

Neither the Japanese Foreign Ministry nor the U.S. Treasury Department has yet responded to requests for comment.

Japan, South Korea, India and European countries had stopped buying Iranian oil after the tightening of US sanctions following US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear agreement in 2018. China has remained the main buyer of Iranian oil for the past few years.

* Risks of the Strait of Hormuz

Another official at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry told Reuters in June that any Japanese purchases of Iranian oil would be a decision made by private sector companies, but noted that it was unclear whether such deals would go ahead given the long shipping times and existing contracts.

He added that ensuring the safety of oil tanker voyages will remain a key factor to be taken into account.

A senior Iranian official said that finalizing any deal would require the United States to extend the current waiver, given the time required to ship oil between Iran and Japan.

He explained that the shipments would be loaded from Iran’s Kharg Island and transported via tankers operated by Japanese companies.

A senior Iranian oil ministry official told Reuters that the National Iranian Oil Company had informed its regular customers, including Japan, that it would like to resume their purchases of Iranian oil if a peace agreement is reached and sanctions are lifted.

The Iranian oil ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Passage through the Strait of Hormuz is still far from being completely safe, and how the waterway will operate after a permanent peace agreement is reached between Tehran and Washington remains unclear.

A container ship was attacked by Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz last week, while the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed that all crossings through the strait must first obtain its approval.

The United Nations agency specializing in maritime shipping estimates that there are about 80 floating mines in the central part of the strait.

A senior official at one of Japan's major oil refiners said that obtaining insurance coverage would be the biggest challenge for any oil shipments from the region.

Traders and analysts believe that the current temporary exemption from US sanctions is unlikely to encourage Asian refiners, which have sufficient stockpiles, to place new purchase orders, thus keeping independent Chinese refineries as the main buyers of Iranian oil.