There have been fresh tensions in the Strait of Hormuz due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. This happened when the Iranian Navy attacked three ships on Saturday; two of these were Indian ships in the Strait of Hormuz. As a result of the attack, the ships retreated to the west.
It should be noted that one of the ships under threat was transporting 2 million tons of oil from Iraq to India. This was confirmed by the official Iranian media. Given the gravity of the matter, India did not delay in taking action. It called on Iran's ambassador to the Ministry of External Affairs, Dr. Mohammad Fathali, and conveyed its dissatisfaction.
Fifteen Indian ships remain stranded in the western part of the Strait of Hormuz. The current situation is that the Iranian Navy is preventing ships from leaving the Strait of Hormuz, and there is a US military blockade outside. The Indian Foreign Ministry stated, "The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs this evening for a meeting with the Foreign Secretary.
During the meeting, the Foreign Secretary expressed India's deep concern over the firing incident on two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz. He described the safety of commercial vessels and seafarers as of utmost importance to India. The Foreign Secretary recalled that Iran had previously cooperated in providing safe passage to several ships bound for India.
Reiterating concern over this serious incident of firing, the Foreign Secretary urged the Ambassador to convey India's views to the highest Iranian authorities and to resume the process of allowing Indian-bound ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible.
The Iranian Ambassador assured to convey India's views to his country's government. "This is the first time an Indian-flagged ship has been attacked by Iran. Furthermore, the summoning of the Iranian ambassador to the Indian Foreign Ministry is a rare occurrence.
This is not the first time Indian ships have been targeted in the conflict in West Asia. Previously, an Indian ship was attacked in the region, allegedly by the US. That incident also raised serious concerns about maritime security. Following that incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar have repeatedly condemned attacks on sailors and ships at international forums as unacceptable.
This incident is even more significant because Iran has officially maintained that it has not prevented ships from friendly countries from leaving the Strait of Hormuz. Two weeks ago, Iran's Foreign Minister, along with China, Russia, and Pakistan, included India among the friendly countries, stating that their ships would be allowed to leave.
This attack by the Iranian Navy is also being seen as a consequence of the ongoing tug-of-war between Iran and the US over control of the Strait of Hormuz. On Thursday, the Iranian government, followed by President Donald Trump, issued a statement. It was announced that a complete agreement had been reached to open the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.
This agreement collapsed within hours. This latest attack has diminished the prospects for safe transit through Hormuz. India imports 60 percent of its oil and 90 percent of its gas through this route. This incident is also said to have an impact on relations between India and Iran.
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