While ships from several countries remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said there is “no blanket arrangement” with Iran allowing Indian-flagged
ships to pass through the strategic waterway. According to him, the ongoing talks with Iran helped the two Indian-flagged gas tankers pass through the key oil route, even as Tehran continues to restrict traffic during its conflict with the United States and Israel.
Iran has closed the strait to the US, Israel and their allies.
Jaishankar said discussions with Iran had produced “some results” but described the process as “ongoing”, reports Financial Times.
“I am at the moment engaged in talking to them, and my talking has yielded some results. This is ongoing. If it is yielding results for me, I would naturally continue to look at it,” Jaishankar said. He added that from India’s perspective it was better to reason, coordinate and find a solution through dialogue.
“Certainly, from India’s perspective, it is better that we reason and we coordinate and we get a solution,” he said.
No blanket arrangement for Indian ships
Jaishankar clarified that there was no “blanket arrangement” with Iran allowing all Indian-flagged vessels to pass through the strait.
He said every ship movement was handled individually and denied that Iran had received anything in exchange for allowing the two tankers through.
“It’s not an exchange issue. India and Iran have a relationship. And this is a conflict that we regard as something very unfortunate,” he said.
He added that discussions were continuing as more Indian ships remained in the region.
“These are still early days. We have many more ships there. So while this is a welcome development, there is continuing conversation because there is continued work on that,” Jaishankar said.
Iran says Hormuz closed for US, Israel and their allies
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday has said the strait “remains open” to most vessels and is only closed to ships belonging to the United States, Israel and their allies.
Speaking to MS Now, Araghchi said ships from other countries are allowed to pass through the key shipping route. “As a matter of fact, the Strait of Hormuz is open. It is only closed to the tankers and ships belonging to our enemies, to those who are attacking us and their allies. Others are free to pass,” he said.
Two tankers carrying LPG cross strait
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and discussed the transit of goods and energy.
Two Indian-flagged tankers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, carrying around 92,700 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz. The vessels are expected to arrive at the ports of Mundra and Kandla within a few days.
Hormuz Strait blockade raises energy concerns
The Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf’s only access to the Arabian Sea, handles around 20 per cent of global crude oil and natural gas supplies.
Iran has blocked the route in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks, raising concerns about energy security in Asian markets including India and China. India is the world’s fourth-largest buyer of liquefied natural gas and the second-largest buyer of LPG, which is widely used for cooking. Much of this gas is sourced from the Middle East.
Amid supply concerns, the Indian government earlier ordered that households and the transport sector should be prioritised. Several industries, including ceramic tile manufacturers, are facing gas shortages that could affect production.
