11 Indian ships exit Strait of Hormuz, 13 still in Persian Gulf: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that 11 Indian ships have exited the Strait of Hormuz following diplomatic engagement with Iran, while 13 vessels remain in the Persian Gulf.

Addressing a weekly media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India continues to remain in contact with Iranian authorities to facilitate the movement of the remaining ships.

“We have seen forward movement and, as a result of forward movement, diplomatic engagement and conversations with the Iranian side, so far 11 Indian ships have exited the Strait of Hormuz. Thirteen ships continue to be there in the Persian Gulf, and we continue to be in touch with the Iranian authorities, so that the remaining ships can also cross the Strait of Hormuz and come to India, which is their destination,” Jaiswal said.

The development comes amid signs of easing tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically vital waterway through which nearly 20 per cent of global oil and gas supplies pass.

The situation appeared to improve after US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Washington was pausing its blockade measures to allow space for negotiations with Iran.

Subsequently, Iran’s military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated on Wednesday that ships would be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming that US threats had been “neutralised”.
However, Trump later warned that the US could resume bombing “at a much higher level and intensity than before” if Iran failed to lift restrictions on the key maritime route.

Iran had blocked the Strait after Israel and the US launched military strikes against it on February 28. The US later imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports on April 13 after diplomatic talks between the two sides collapsed.

-IANS