Attacks on vessels carrying Indian sailors, Iran ‘service charge’ may come up in IORA meeting
India is the current chairman of the Indian Ocean Association, which also includes Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Oman as members. Credit: X/@IORAofficial
All eyes will be on India at the 28th meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) starting on Monday (June 15, 2026), which may raise concerns over the recent US attacks on four vessels with Indian sailors on board.
India is the current chair of the regional maritime cooperative association, which also includes Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Oman – countries that have also been directly affected by the conflict in West Asia and the disruption to maritime traffic caused by the US blockade and Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The US also appears in the association as a “partner for dialogue” in the role of observer, participating and discussing issues, but not having voting rights.
Although IORA’s charter specifically prohibits members from raising issues that are not related to regional cooperation, more broadly, India could try to use the forum to air its concerns in maritime space.
The Committee of Senior Officials is the second highest decision-making body of IORA.
A platform with members across continents could be an avenue for dialogue on the prevailing wider maritime interests and potentially cooperation in this area.
Apart from issues specific to India, other member countries would also find themselves in the limelight, notably Iran, which is seeking to introduce a “service charge” for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
“According to international law, it is not possible to collect tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, but service fees will be collected and this will be determined during negotiations,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Indian seafarers
In the past five days, the United States has attacked three foreign-flagged vessels carrying Indian sailors for violating the naval blockade. The US-imposed blockade prohibits the use of Iranian ports and the transportation of Iranian oil.
The Indian government has summoned US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Jason Meeks twice in the past three days. The Foreign Office “strongly protested” and described the incidents as “deeply disturbing”.
In a statement, US Central Command said it had “decommissioned” a total of nine vessels that failed to comply with the blockade since April 13, 2026, while allowing passage for 42 vessels supporting humanitarian aid.
Immediate concerns
Speaking to The Hindu at the 10th Indian Ocean Conference in Mauritius on 11 April 2026, Mauritian Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful said that the idea of the Indian Ocean as a “zone of peace” has been negated because “war has come to the ocean”.
While condemning the US torpedo attack on the Iranian ship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean that killed more than 80 sailors in March 2026, he also expressed his concern about Iran’s retaliatory attacks on the US military base Diego Garcia in the Chagos archipelago.
Published – 13 Jun 2026 22:10 IST