Indian source says Iran to allow India-flagged tankers to pass through Strait of Hormuz
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Sri Lanka Navy personnel assisting Iranian sailors during a rescue operation after responding to a distress call from the Iranian military ship IRIS Dena on March 4.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW DELHI – Iran will allow India-flagged tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for 40 per cent of the South Asian nation’s crude imports, an Indian government source said on March 12, but an Iranian source outside the country denied any such deal was reached.
India’s Foreign Ministry and Iran’s embassy in New Delhi did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Indian source, who was briefed on the matter, declined to be identified, citing a lack of authorisation to speak to the media, while the Iranian source said the matter was a sensitive one.
The Indian source said two foreign-flagged tankers believed to be bound for India had recently transited the strait, and that Iran had given assurances of safe passage for India-flagged vessels after the foreign ministers of both countries spoke by telephone late on March 10.
The source said the situation remained fluid, with limited clarity on how instructions were being relayed across different layers of Iran’s administration.
In a statement after the talks between India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and his Iranian counterpart, Mr Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the United States should be held accountable for the “insecure situation and problems arising for shipping in the Persian Gulf”.
Neither side mentioned any agreement on allowing safe passage for Indian vessels.
On March 11, India said 28 India-flagged vessels were operating west and east of the strait with 778 Indian sailors aboard.
“Authorities, ship managers and recruitment agencies are coordinating closely with Indian embassies and local authorities to ensure safety and provide assistance to Indian seafarers,” the Indian Petroleum Ministry said in a statement.
India sheltering Iranian sailors
India has given safe harbour to 183 Iranian sailors from a vessel that docked after the war broke out between Iran and the US and Israel.
New Delhi had allowed three Iranian ships that departed following a naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal to dock, but one was later sunk by a US submarine in international waters, and another sought assistance from Sri Lanka.
Iran has attacked at least 16 ships in the Strait of Hormuz since the war began in late February. Tehran has warned that oil prices could nearly double to US$200 (S$255) a barrel as it retaliates.
A Thai vessel bound for India’s western port of Kandla was attacked in the strait on March 11, prompting criticism from New Delhi.
“India deplores the fact that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attacks in the ongoing conflict,” the Foreign Ministry said on March 11, adding that its citizens had also died.
The near-closure of the strait has compelled India, the world’s No. 3 oil consumer, to scramble for alternatives, such as buying more from Russia. REUTERS
