India on Wednesday called for safe and unhindered transit of commercial ships as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted energy flows, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar supporting close coordination with partners to support supply chain resilience.
Jaishankar represented India at the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Plus meeting chaired by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaishi, which focused on the energy supply disruption caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway is used to transport about half of India’s oil imports. Follow live updates on the war between Iran and the United States
“We reiterated India’s strong commitment to safe and unhindered transit of maritime shipping. Attacks on commercial vessels are absolutely unacceptable,” Jaishankar said on social media after the meeting.
“Global growth requires unconstrained energy markets. As a major energy consumer, India will work with like-minded partners to develop supply chain resilience,” he added.
The meeting – attended by AZEC’s 11 members, including Australia, Singapore and partners such as India, Bangladesh and South Korea – saw Japan unveil a new initiative, the Partnership for Broad Energy and Resource Resilience (POWERR) in Asia, which aims to support countries affected by fuel supply disruptions.
The initiative will provide financial cooperation worth about $10 billion to Asian countries, according to a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry. As part of efforts to strengthen supply systems, Japan will support crude oil storage systems, establish infrastructure such as storage tanks, renovate oil production facilities in oil-producing countries in West Asia, and ensure the safety of sea lanes.
Takaishi said Asian countries were among those most affected by the unrest linked to the Strait of Hormuz and must work together to confront the common challenge. She described the POWERR Asia program as a framework that combines emergency responses with long-term structural measures, including financing the purchase of crude oil and maintaining supply chains.
Read also: ‘President Xi is going to give me a big, fat hug’: Trump claims he will open Strait of Hormuz ‘permanently’
Participants included Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and Bangladesh Prime Minister Tariq Rahman.
Separately, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed the need to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open, safe and secure” during a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Trump briefed Modi on developments in the West Asian crisis.
Fifteen Indian-flagged or Indian-owned vessels are currently stationed west of the Strait of Hormuz, while nine vessels – mostly LPG tankers – have transited the waterway since the conflict began on February 28.
“We are talking to several countries regarding the Strait of Hormuz to ensure that the rest of our ships can transit in a safe manner and come to India,” Jaiswal said.
With the end of the US exemption from sanctions on Russian oil and the end of another exemption on Iranian oil, Jaiswal reiterated India’s focus on diversification. “We continue to purchase oil from various sources, taking into account the energy security needs of 1.4 billion people… and the global situation we have to deal with,” he said.
