File photo: Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz
The latest exemption comes amid heightened concern over the safety of Indian nationals working aboard vessels in the Gulf, with the death toll from attacks on merchant shipping having risen to 23. Iran has exempted Indian vessels from restrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian lawmaker said on Tuesday, as attacks on shipping in the region continue to claim the lives of Indian seafarers.
The Forward Seamen’s Union of India has said more than 4,000 Indian sailors remain aboard vessels in the region.
Ahmad Hayat-Moghaddam, vice-chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, said India, China, Iraq and Qatar had been granted exemptions and their vessels could pass through the strategic waterway without restrictions. Speaking at a meeting on economic and security conditions, he said Tehran had facilitated the passage of Indian ships to enable imports of medicines from India, while the arrangement with China was intended to secure Beijing’s political support. He said the exemption for Indian vessels was intended to facilitate medicine imports into Iran, while the arrangement for Chinese ships was aimed at securing Beijing’s political support. “We are doing business,” he said, adding that Tehran also collected money from Indian and Chinese vessels. However, the report said Iranian military strategists remain sceptical of a diplomatic settlement and view a return to confrontation with the US as the likelier scenario. Earlier reporting noted: Iran exempts ships from India, China, Iraq, Qatar from Hormuz restrictions Iran has exempted merchant vessels from India, China, Iraq and Qatar from restrictions on using the Strait of Hormuz, and the measure is aimed at facilitating the procurement of medicines from India, an influential Iranian lawmaker has said. Earlier reporting noted: Amir Hayat-Moghaddam, deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, said ships from these four countries can “pass freely” through the strategic waterway and the US too is not stopping them either.
India condemned the attack and called for immediate de-escalation, urging all sides to restore free and unimpeded navigation through international waterways in accordance with international law. Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to prevent a renewed conflict are continuing. Iran’s military leadership has been urged to consider a Qatari-mediated proposal to halt the conflict. Qatari envoys reportedly travelled to Tehran to obtain Iran’s response to the proposed framework.
The Directorate General of Shipping had earlier advised ship owners and recruitment agencies against sending Indian nationals aboard vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, though the advisory was not binding. Earlier reporting noted: “We have currently exempted India, China, Iraq and Qatar from transit restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. Ships from these countries pass freely, and the Americans do not intercept them either,” Hayat-Moghaddam said in an interview with the Iranian Students’ News Agency on Tuesday.