Indian ships allowed in Strait of Hormuz: Days after Iran allowed India-flagged tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating conflict in the Middle East, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has hailed direct discussions with Tehran as the most effective way to restart shipping through the vital oil chokepoint.
No ‘blanket arrangement’ with Iran for Indian vessels
EAM Jaishankar has clarified that India has not reached any “blanket arrangement” with Iran regarding the India-flagged vessels that recently passed through the Strait of Hormuz amid growing tensions in the Gulf region.
In an interview with the Financial Times, the Minister said, “every ship movement is an individual happening.” He also denied that Iran had received anything from India in exchange for allowing the vessels to pass through the chokepoint.
“It’s not an exchange issue,” Jaishankar said.
“India and Iran have a relationship. And this is a conflict that we regard as something very unfortunate.”
“I am at the moment engaged in talking to them, and my talking has yielded some results,” Jaishankar told the Financial Times in an interview published on 15 March.
India’s diplomacy with Iran helped ease Hormuz pressure
Jaishankar told FT that negotiations between New Delhi and Tehran, which allowed for two Indian-flagged gas tankers to pass through the Strait on Saturday, were an example of what diplomacy could bring.
He was referring to the recent transit of two Indian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas carriers through the Strait as an example of progress through diplomatic engagement.
Two Indian vessels carrying LPG cross Strait of Hormuz safely
Two Indian-flagged vessels carrying LPG from the Gulf countries safely crossed the war-hit Strait of Hormuz early on Saturday morning, a senior Shipping Ministry official said.
LPG carriers Shivalik and Nanda Devi are now headed to Mundra and Kandla ports in Gujarat, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in Ministry of Shipping, told a media briefing.
The vessels are carrying 92,700 tonne of LPG and are likely to dock at Indian ports on March 16/17, he said.
Several countries seeking assurances for their vessels: Iran
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CBS that Iran had been approached by several governments seeking assurances for their vessels.
“A group of vessels from different countries have been allowed to pass,” he said, adding that decisions on safe passage ultimately rest with Iran’s military.
Trump urges other nations to send ships to secure Strait of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump on Saturday called on nations to send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for shipping as Iranian forces respond to US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social, said he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others would send ships to help protect the vital, narrow passage through which about a fifth of global oil passes.
(With inputs from Reuters and PTI)
