New Delhi: India on Monday said it has not held bilateral discussions with the United States about sending naval vessels to secure merchant shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, even as tensions in West Asia continue to disrupt energy supplies and maritime movement in one of the world’s most critical trade routes. The clarification came amid a wider international debate over safeguarding the strategic waterway after Iran’s actions effectively restricted traffic through the strait, which carries about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. At the same time, New Delhi is managing evacuations of its citizens from Iran and working to ensure the safe movement of Indian-flagged vessels stranded in the region.
Addressing questions during a weekly media briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has not held any bilateral consultations with Washington regarding the deployment of Indian warships to the region.
“We are aware of this particular matter being discussed by several countries. We have not yet discussed it in a bilateral setting,” Jaiswal said, adding that India would continue consultations with various stakeholders on the issue.
The remarks came after a call by US President Donald Trump urging several nations to contribute naval forces to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he hoped countries including China, France, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom would dispatch warships to ensure the shipping route remains “safe and open”. However, there have been no immediate commitments from the countries mentioned.
The Strait, a narrow maritime passage linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, has become a focal point of the ongoing conflict in the region after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and Tehran’s subsequent retaliation. The disruption has pushed up global oil and gas prices and complicated the movement of cargo vessels through the waterway.
India, which relies heavily on imports for its energy needs, is particularly exposed to disruptions in Gulf shipping lanes. The country imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil, around 50 per cent of its natural gas and about 60 per cent of its liquefied petroleum gas requirements.
Prior to the escalation, more than half of India’s crude imports and a large share of its gas and LPG supplies came from Middle Eastern producers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India does not have a “blanket arrangement” with Iran allowing Indian-flagged ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and that each transit requires separate coordination.
“Every ship movement is an individual happening,” Jaishankar said in an interview with the Financial Times from Brussels. He added that talks with Tehran had helped secure passage for some vessels. “I am at the moment engaged in talking to them and my talking has yielded some results. This is ongoing.”
He also rejected suggestions that India had offered concessions in return for allowing its ships to pass. “It’s not an exchange issue,” Jaishankar said, noting that India and Iran maintain longstanding ties even as the current conflict remains “very unfortunate”.
Two Indian-flagged LPG carriers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, carrying a combined cargo of 92,712 metric tonnes of LPG crossed the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month. The volume is roughly equivalent to India’s daily cooking gas requirement.
Maritime authorities say progress is being made in clearing other Indian vessels stranded near the strait. According to Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, an Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, Jag Laadki, carrying about 80,800 tonnes of Murban crude from the UAE’s Fujairah port is scheduled to reach India on Tuesday.The vessel sailed safely despite an attack on the Fujairah oil terminal while it was loading. All 22 Indian crew members on board are reported safe.
Sinha said Jag Laadki is the fourth among 28 Indian ships that had been stuck in the conflict-affected area over the past two weeks. As of now, 22 Indian-flagged vessels carrying 611 seafarers remain in the western Persian Gulf, while two ships are still on the western side of the Strait of Hormuz.Another tanker, Jag Prakash, which loaded gasoline at Sohar port in Oman, crossed the strait on Friday and is heading toward Tanga in Tanzania, where it is expected to arrive on March 21.
The Directorate General of Shipping has set up a control room to assist Indian seafarers and their families. Authorities said more than 3,000 phone calls and about 5,400 emails have been handled so far, while 286 Indian seafarers have been repatriated, including 33 in the past 48 hours.
Meanwhile, India has also been assisting its nationals stranded in Iran as the conflict spreads across the Gulf region. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said more than 550 Indians have been evacuated from Iran through Armenia so far.
“Thank the Government and the people of Armenia for facilitating the safe evacuation of over 550 Indian nationals from Iran so far. Appreciate their support in these challenging times,” he said on social media.
Officials estimate that around 9,000 Indian nationals remain in Iran, including students, seafarers, businesspeople, professionals and pilgrims. Some have already been moved from Tehran to safer locations within the country.
The Indian Embassy in Tehran has issued an advisory urging citizens not to attempt to cross land borders without prior coordination. The mission warned that those leaving the country without embassy guidance could face logistical and immigration difficulties and that assistance may not be possible once individuals exit Iranian territory.
Alongside evacuation and shipping efforts, India has called for a reduction in tensions in the region. Jaiswal reiterated New Delhi’s position during the briefing.
“We continue to call for de-escalation, for exercise of restraint and for countries to adopt the path of dialogue and diplomacy so that there can be an early end to this conflict,” he said, adding that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected.