New Delhi has urged Tehran’s envoy to resume facilitating the passage of ships headed to the South Asian nation
New Delhi has expressed its concern to the Iranian envoy over the firing on two India-bound vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Tehran’s envoy to New Delhi, Mohammad Fathali, on Saturday, and conveyed India’s “deep concern” after the incident in which ships carrying energy cargoes were reportedly prevented from transiting the Strait by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
This is the first time that India-bound energy carriers have been prevented from transiting the Strait during the ceasefire announced on April 8.
On April 17, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi declared that passage for all commercial vessels is completely open.
“The Foreign Secretary conveyed India’s deep concern at the shooting incident earlier today involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
Misri said that Iran had earlier facilitated the safe passage of several ships and added that he “urged the ambassador to convey India’s views to the authorities in Iran and resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait.”
The Foreign Ministry said the Iranian ambassador was “called in” and not “summoned” as some reports indicated.
Misri was India’s representative in an international virtual meeting organized by the United Kingdom and France on April 17, in which 44 countries discussed the need for maintaining open navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump had also said that “Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again.
Reports said soon after Araghchi’s announcement the IRGC reportedly said the strait had reverted to “strict control” due to the US Navy’s blockade of Iranian ships.
The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a critical energy chokepoint since tensions escalated after the US-Israel attacks on Iran began on February 28.
India imports 85% of its oil and nearly half of its natural gas. Around half of its crude oil and LNG shipments are normally routed through the Strait of Hormuz.
