India is in touch with Iranian authorities to arrange safe passage of about 30 Indian-flagged commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed by the Iranian military due to the conflict with Israel and the United States, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
The focus is on arranging safe passage for commercial shipping with Indian Navy escort, against the backdrop of a series of attacks on tankers and bulk carriers in the Persian Gulf by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) over the past few weeks, the sources said. Three Indian sailors have been killed so far and another is missing in attacks on three ships.
One person said: “Talks are ongoing and no solution has been reached yet.”
The safety of Indian-flagged ships and India-bound commercial vessels is understood to have come to light in a phone call between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araqchi on March 10 – their third conversation since the Iran-US conflict began on February 28.
“The External Affairs Minister and the Foreign Minister of Iran held three talks in recent days. The last conversation discussed issues related to shipping safety and energy security in India. Moreover, it would be too early for me to say anything,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly press conference.
The above-mentioned people said that Iran has not allowed any Indian-flagged commercial ship to transit the Strait of Hormuz for the past four-five days. The Suezmax tanker Shenlong, carrying Saudi crude oil, arrived in Mumbai on Thursday after transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The Liberian-flagged ship is believed to be the first tanker to reach India from West Asia since the start of hostilities on February 28.
Indian authorities are closely monitoring 24 Indian-flagged ships with 677 Indian sailors on board currently located west of the strait, and four other ships carrying 101 Indian sailors east of the strategic waterway, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary at the Ministry of Shipping, said at an inter-ministerial press conference.
“All Indian ships and their crews are being actively monitored for their safety and security,” Sinha said, adding that a total of 78 Indian crew members were on board foreign-flagged ships involved in “maritime incidents” in recent days. He added that three crew members were killed, another was missing, and four others were injured in these incidents.
On Wednesday, India condemned the attacks on commercial ships after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard opened fire on a ship flying the Thai flag that was heading to the port of Kandla in Gujarat state. Twenty crew members from the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree were rescued, and three others were reported missing. “India regrets the fact that commercial shipping has become the target of military attacks in the ongoing conflict in West Asia,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The statement added: “India reiterates that targeting commercial vessels, endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and trade should be avoided.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement of the March 10 phone call between Jaishankar and Araghchi that the two sides discussed the “consequences” of the US and Israeli military aggression on shipping security in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Referring to Iran’s principled approach to protecting the security of shipping in the Persian Gulf, [Araghchi] The statement stated that the unsafe situation and problems arising from shipping in the Arabian Gulf are a result of the aggressive and destabilizing actions undertaken by the United States, and the international community must hold the United States accountable for this situation.
Global oil and gas prices rose after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles nearly 20% of global oil and gas shipments.
Jaiswal also said that around 9,000 Indians remain in Iran and the government is helping those who want to travel to Azerbaijan and Armenia to return to India by facilitating visas and land border crossings. “These 9,000 Indian citizens are students, sailors, businessmen, professionals and some pilgrims,” he said.
The authorities have already transferred several Indian nationals, including students and pilgrims, from Tehran to safer locations in Iran.
