India-bound ships transit Strait of Hormuz after US-Iran peace deal

Eleven India-bound ships have transited through the Strait of Hormuz after the United States and Iran finalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to end the West Asia conflict, , the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday, June 23. With the US withdrawing sanctions on Iranian petroleum products as part of the peace deal, New Delhi said it is monitoring the developments in West Asia and that its energy sourcing is guided by national interest. “As of today, we have 10 Indian-flagged vessels, which are still in the Persian Gulf region. In addition, two have recently arrived there,” MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing. “Since the signing of the MoU on June 17, 11 India-bound vessels have transited through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. The vessels include three Indian-flagged crude oil tankers, each carrying over 285,000 MT crude oil, one foreign-flagged LPG carrier, one foreign-flagged crude oil tanker, and six foreign-flagged bulk carriers, carrying fertilizer cargo, he said. “We hope that the remaining India-flagged vessels would also be able to cross the Hormuz soon,” Jaiswal added. US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the landmark peace MoU which provided for an immediate halt to all military operations, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports. Global oil and gas prices had surged after Iran virtually blocked the Strait of Hormuz through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually passes. The blockade had severely impacted energy supplies to countries around the world including India. West Asia has been a major source of India’s energy procurement. To a question on US removing sanctions on Iranian crude oil, Jaiswal said: “We are closely monitoring all developments related to West Asia. As far as our energy sourcing is concerned, you are well aware that our policy is guided by national interest.” “Our priority is to ensure that 1.4 billion people have access to energy at affordable prices and from diverse sources. This has consistently been our policy,” he said. To a separate question, Jaiswal said India has maintained good relations with Palestine for decades. Under our development partnership framework, we have extended several development projects to Palestine, he said. These projects have been delivered both through bilateral channels and through United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), he added. “In addition, we have extended humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people on numerous occasions. We will continue to provide such support in the future as well,” he noted. Jaiswal also responded to a question on the India-UAE defence partnership. “This is a very important relationship with the United Arab Emirates,” he said. In recent years, there has been a major upswing in the relationship and defence partnership plays an important role in that, he said.