‘Non-Hostile Vessels’ to Get Safe Passage After Prior Coordination with Iranian Authorities
BuzzBytes News Desk
New Delhi, Mar 26: In a significant development amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday announced that Iran has permitted the passage of vessels for friendly countries, including India, through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
The Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai posted on X: “Iran FM Abbas Araghchi: We permitted passage through the Strait of Hormuz for friendly nations including China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan.”
The announcement comes as the conflict, which began on February 28 with US-Israel strikes on Iran, has severely disrupted global energy supplies through the strait, a critical shipping corridor through which approximately 20 per cent of the world’s oil flows and which previously handled more than half of India’s crude imports.
The development follows comments by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz amid mounting global concern over the economic and humanitarian fallout of the war.
In a post on X, Guterres said: “The prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz is choking the movement of oil, gas, & fertilizer at a critical moment in the global planting season. Across the region & beyond, civilians are enduring serious harm & living under profound insecurity. The UN is working to minimise the consequences of the war. And the best way to minimise those consequences is clear: End the war – immediately.”
Guterres urged the US and Israel to end the war in West Asia, stating: “My message to the US & Israel is that it’s high time to end the war – as human suffering deepens, civilian casualties mount & the global economic impact is increasingly devastating. My message to Iran is to stop attacking their neighbours that are not parties to the conflict.”
Earlier on March 25, the Iranian mission in New York clarified the framework for passage through the strait, announcing that “non-hostile vessels” would be permitted safe transit under specific conditions.
The mission posted on X: “Non-hostile vessels, including those belonging to or associated with other States, may–provided that they neither participate in nor support acts of aggression against Iran and fully comply with the declared safety and security regulations–benefit from safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the competent Iranian authorities.”
The Iranian Defence Council has announced that the transit of “non-hostile vessels” through the strategic Strait of Hormuz is now strictly dependent on prior “coordination with Iranian officials.”
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, has been effectively shut to commercial shipping since the outbreak of the war, causing significant disruptions to global energy markets. For India, which imports 88 per cent of its crude oil requirements, the strait has been a critical transit route for supplies from Gulf producers including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE.
The latest diplomatic move by Iran is expected to provide some relief to India’s energy security concerns, which have been severely tested during the nearly month-long conflict. Two Indian LPG carriers—Pine Gas and Jag Vasant—recently successfully transited the strait, with more vessels expected to follow under the new framework—(ANI)
