Two Indian-flagged ships have reportedly been allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz amid the war between Iran and the United States, even as most ships remain stranded over fears of being caught in the crossfire that began on February 28.
The sources said that Indian ships began crossing safely through the strait between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
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This comes after a Liberian-flagged tanker carrying Saudi crude, piloted by an Indian, cleared the Strait of Hormuz two days ago and docked at the Mumbai port, becoming the first India-bound ship to safely cross the waterway, where maritime traffic has almost stopped since the US and Israel attacked Iran. Follow updates on the conflict in West Asia
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday spoke with his Iranian counterpart Syed Abbas Araghchi and discussed the latest developments in the conflict in West Asia.
As the military standoff between the United States and Iran has raged for nearly two weeks, the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic oil corridor, has emerged as a flashpoint between the two sides with Iran controlling it and the United States contesting the claim.
Iran has now issued a stern warning and asked ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz to obtain Iranian approval to use the passage or face attack.
Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri said that two ships that ignored Iran’s warnings were targeted in the strait on Wednesday.
The Iranian general said in a post on the website
More than 20 million barrels of crude oil, nearly a fifth of global oil consumption, pass daily through the Strait of Hormuz, which separates the Iranian coast from Oman. A large share of the world’s liquefied natural gas also moves through the same corridor. When this flow falters, even briefly, the consequences ripple through financial markets, supply chains and household budgets around the world.
