Tehran (TIP): Iran on Thursday, April 2, indicated that its “Indian friends” have nothing to worry about when it comes to safe passage for fuel tankers through the conflict-hit Strait of Hormuz.
“Our Indian friends are in safe hands, no worries,” the Iranian Embassy in India said while quoting a tweet by Iran’s Embassy in South Africa.
The original post had batted for exclusive sovereign control of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran and Oman. “ONLY Iran and Oman will decide the future of the Strait of Hormuz. You are in safe hands, no worries,” Iran’s Embassy in South Africa said in the X post.
Iran has been highly selective in imposing its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, with India being one of the very few nations whose cargo ships have been granted passage through the strategic waterway amid the current war in the Middle East.
So far, six Indian-flagged fuel carriers have safely transited through the critical energy choke point since the Iranian blockade was announced in early March.
IRAN’S GRAND GESTURE FOR FRIENDS
Iranian officials have repeatedly emphasised that the strait is only closed to ships of “enemies”, alluding to the US and its allies. The disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has already pushed fuel prices higher across global markets and raised concerns over supply chain stability.
Last week, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was being contacted for safe passage by either shipping firms or countries under whose flags stranded ships were setting sail.
Speaking to the Iranian state media, he mentioned India, China, Russia, Pakistan, and Iraq as some of the few “friendly” countries that coordinated with Iran for safe passage of their commercial shipst.
INDIA DENIES TOLL ARRANGEMENT
India has dismissed reports of having a toll-like arrangement with Iran for securing approval for Indian-flagged carriers. India is engaging with regional players in the Middle East, including Iran, to keep shipping lanes open, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
“We are in touch with Iran and other countries there to see how best we can get unimpeded transit and safe transit for our ships,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said while addressing a press briefing on April 2.
He said that the outreach is already yielding results. “Through this conversation that we have had over the last several days, we have had six Indian ships which have been able to safely cross the Strait of Hormuz, and we continue to be in touch with relevant parties,” the official stated, as quoted by news agency ANI.
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