Iran has allowed two Indian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian officials said on Friday, a development expected to ease a cooking gas crisis in India.
“The vessels have been permitted to move through the Strait of Hormuz,” said a person who declined to be identified, without giving details.
The move came hours after phone conversations between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian – their first since the start of the Iran-US conflict – and external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi.
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Modi said he had discussed the “safety and security of Indian citizens” and the “need for uninterrupted flow of goods and energy” with Pezeshkian, describing them as India’s top priorities.
Earlier on Friday, Iranian ambassador Mohammad Fathali indicated that Indian vessels would be granted safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that transports nearly 50% of India’s oil imports.
“We believe that Iran and India are friends. We have common interests, we have a common fate,” Fathali told reporters when he was asked if Indian vessels would be allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz.
{{/usCountry}}“We believe that Iran and India are friends. We have common interests, we have a common fate,” Fathali told reporters when he was asked if Indian vessels would be allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz.
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“The Government of India, in this situation after the war, helped us in different fields,” he said, adding that positive developments regarding transit through the crucial waterway were expected in “two or three hours”.
People familiar with the matter said the Indian side continues to be in touch with Iran regarding safe passage for some two dozen Indian-flagged vessels currently located west of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a separate development, a crude tanker is expected to arrive in India on Saturday, carrying Saudi Arabian oil after sailing through the strait, people said.