Iran has exempted Indian ships from the restrictions it imposed on passage through the Strait of Hormuz, along with vessels from China, Iraq, and Qatar, a senior Iranian lawmaker says.
The exemptions are intended to serve Iran’s interests, and in India’s case, to facilitate imports of medicines, the deputy chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Amir Hayat-Moghaddam, told the Iranian Students’ News Agency on Tuesday. Chinese ships have been exempted to secure Beijing’s political support.
India has been supplying and facilitating the transport of medicines and medical aid to Iran, which is under sanctions from the US and Europe, as a humanitarian gesture.
Iran restricted maritime traffic through the strategic waterway following the US-Israeli attack on February 28, and Washington subsequently retaliated with a naval blockade of Iranian ports. The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, handled around a fifth of global oil and gas before the conflict.
India imports nearly 90% of its crude oil requirements, with around 30% currently passing through the strait. The route also handles most of the country’s liquefied petroleum gas imports, making it crucial for India’s energy supplies.
Iran collects transit fees from Indian and Chinese vessels but allows Qatari ships to pass free, Hayat-Moghaddam said. However, the Indian government has not paid any fees for ships whose passage it negotiated through diplomatic channels, the Economic Times reported. India previously secured passage for several energy shipments.
In April, New Delhi summoned Iran’s ambassador after two Indian-flagged ships came under fire in the strait and urged Iran to resume facilitating safe passage.
Attacks on commercial shipping have continued across the region. An Indian sailor was killed and 13 others rescued on Monday after the Indian-flagged MSV Al Jusufi was struck off Oman’s coast. Another tanker was struck two weeks earlier, but the 21 people on board survived.
India condemned the attacks and called for de-escalation through dialogue and diplomacy, as well as the restoration of freedom of navigation and uninterrupted maritime trade, and an end to attacks on commercial shipping.