Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday sought to ascertain from Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether Iran had given assurances that Indian ships would be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief’s remarks came hours after Prime Minister Modi spoke to him Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the phone and discussed the “serious situation” in West Asia since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran were added.
Read also | PM Modi talks to Iranian president and expresses concern over loss of life
The Prime Minister told the Iranian President that the safety and security of Indian citizens, along with the need for unrestricted transit of goods and energy, remain India’s top priorities.
In a post on X, the AAP leader asked whether Indians would soon get a reprieve from the dire situation arising out of West Asian conflict.
“Mr. Prime Minister, has the Iranian president assured you that he will allow our ships to pass through Hormuz? Will the countrymen get rid of this serious crisis soon?” Kejriwal said in a Hindi post.
Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping strait through which significant energy imports from India flow.
Thursday’s phone call was Prime Minister Modi’s first conversation with an Iranian leader since the outbreak of war following the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28. Before him, the Minister of Foreign Affairs With Jaishankar had a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi during the ongoing conflict between Israel, the US and Iran.
Before you talk to Iranian president On March 12, in a diplomatic engagement with the Gulf countries, PM Modi discussed the evolving situation with the leaders of UAW, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar among others.
The conversation came on the 13th day of an escalating conflict in West Asia. Hours before Modi’s phone call with Iran’s president, Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khameneihe said that the leverage effect of closing the Strait of Hormuz should be used and that Iranian attacks on Arab neighbors in the Persian Gulf would continue.
Number of Indian vessels unchanged: Govt
The Indian government said on Thursday that the number of Indian vessels operating in the Persian Gulf remains unchanged. As many as 28 Indian vessels with 778 sailors on board are stranded in the Persian Gulf, a government official said on Wednesday, repeating what he said a day earlier.
“The number of Indian-flagged vessels operating in the Persian Gulf remains unchanged,” Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary in the shipping ministry, told reporters at a briefing on Thursday.
“Out of these 28, 24 are in the west of the Strait of Hormuz which has 677 Indian sailors and four vessels are in the east of the strait with 101 Indian sailors on board,” Sinha said.
All Indian vessels and their crew are actively monitored for their safety and security, he said.
Mr. Prime Minister, has the Iranian president assured you that he will allow our ships to pass through Hormuz?
Earlier, a report by Reuters and Indian news agencies said that at least two Indian tankers, “Pushpak” and “Parimal”, were safely crossing the river. Strait of Hormuz although ships from the US, Europe and Israel continued to face restrictions on the strategically important waterway.
