NEW DELHI: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Monday said that India is in touch with “Iran and others” to secure safe exit for its ships through the Strait of Hormuz following Saturday’s incident when IRGC gunboats fired upon two Indian vessels.
Addressing a press briefing in New Delhi, Jaiswal said that India took up the firing incident strongly and summoned the Iranian ambassador and conveyed its concerns.
“We are in touch with Iran and others so that we have a safe exit of our ships through the Strait of Hormuz… The firing incident happened on Saturday, and we took up the matter strongly after receiving information about the same. We called in the Iranian ambassador, had a meeting with the foreign secretary, who conveyed our deep concerns on the incident and reiterated the point that we attach high importance to the safety and security of our mariners and that there should be unimpeded transit,” Jaiswal said.
He further stated that the Iranian Ambassador assured that India’s concerns would be conveyed to the authorities back home.
“We continue to be in touch with the authorities for the safety of our ships…,” Jaiswal added.
His remarks came after two Indian vessels — Jag Arnav and Sanmar Herald — were attacked by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) gunboats while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.
Another oil tanker expected to arrive in Mumbai on April 22
Meanwhile, another oil tanker that had managed to cross the Strait of Hormuz the day when the two vessels were fired upon is expected to arrive in Mumbai on April 22.
According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the vessel Desh Garima, with 31 Indian crew members, successfully crossed the Strait on April 18 and is expected to reach Mumbai on Wednesday.
On Friday last week, Iran had announced that it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz following the ceasefire in Lebanon. However, the country took back the decision and enforced the closure within hours, citing continued US blockade of Iranian ports.
Agencies