New Delhi: Amid Iran’s blockade and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, triggered by the war with the US and Israel, Iran reassured India that its interests remain protected.
As tensions escalated sharply in the Gulf region, the Iranian Embassy issued a calming message for “Indian friends.”
“Our Indian friends are in safe hands, no worries,” the Embassy of Iran in India wrote on X on Thursday.
A similar message was shared by the Iranian Embassy in Saudi Arabia, asserting that “ONLY Iran and Oman will decide the future of the Strait of Hormuz.. You are in safe hands, no worries.” Besides India and Saudi Arabia, Iran has designated China, Russia, Iraq and Pakistan as “friendly nations” whose ships are allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
New Delhi will be relieved as India relies heavily on energy imports passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which is a narrow but extremely crucial waterway between Iran and Oman, that connects the Persian Gulf to Gulf of Oman
and Arabian Sea. It’s through this narrow sea passage — the navigable shipping lanes comprise two two-mile-wide channels – that one-fifth of the world’s oil supply is transported to different countries.
Iran has attacked several ships trying to pass through this sensitive trade route as part of its retaliatory strikes after being attacked by Israel and the US on February 28, when Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other leaders were killed in Tehran.
Mohammad Fathali, Iran’s ambassador to India, had said recently that Tehran will ensure safe passage for Indian vessels despite the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
The situation on the ground, though, remains complex.
Iranian officials have said that the Hormuz strait has not been formally closed, but they have acknowledged that ongoing hostilities have led to operational challenges for commercial shipping.
Eight Indian vessels have crossed the strait in the last three-four weeks, including LPG carriers BW TYR and BW ELM transporting 94,000 tonnes. But several shipments are still stuck.
Officials said at least 19 India-bound vessels, carrying LPG, crude oil and LNG, are stranded in the region. Ten of these are foreign-flagged ships, including three LPG carriers, four crude oil tankers and three LNG vessels. Among Indian-flagged ships caught in the disruption are three LPG tankers, one LNG carrier and four crude oil tankers.