NEW DELHI: Iran will allow Indian-flagged tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for 40% of the South Asian nation’s crude imports, an Indian government source said on Thursday, but an Iranian source outside the country denied any such deal was reached.
India, the world’s No. 3 oil consumer, said on Thursday the foreign ministers of the two countries have had three conversations in recent days and the latest one this week focused on “issues pertaining to the safety of shipping and India’s energy security”.
“Beyond that, it would be premature for me to say anything,” foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a weekly media briefing.
The Indian source, who was briefed on the matter, declined to be identified, citing a lack of authorisation to speak to media, while the Iranian source said the matter was a sensitive one.
On Thursday, the Suezmax tanker Shenlong, carrying Saudi crude, arrived at a port in Mumbai after transiting the strait. The Liberia-flagged vessel was the first crude carrier to reach India from the Middle East since the war between Iran and the United States and Israel broke out in late February, according to LSEG data. The customer is state-run Bharat Petroleum Corp, said a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
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The company did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
The Indian source said two other foreign-flagged tankers believed to be bound for India had recently transited the Strait, and that Iran had given assurances of safe passage for Indian-flagged vessels after the foreign ministers of both countries spoke by telephone late on Tuesday.
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 S. Jaishankar and his counterpart, Seyed 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 Wednesday, India said 28 Indian-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.
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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 United States 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 U.S. submarine in international waters, and another sought assistance from Sri Lanka.
Iran has attacked at least 16 ships in the Strait since the war began in late February. Tehran has warned that oil prices could nearly double to $200 a barrel as it retaliates.
A Thai vessel bound for India’s western port of Kandla was attacked in the Strait on Wednesday, 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 Wednesday, adding that its citizens had also died.
The near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz has compelled India to scramble for alternatives, such as buying more from Russia.
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