While millions of barrels of oil flow to China via the Strait of Hormuz, India — Tehran’s old ally — is yet to secure a safe passage for its ships stuck in the critical waterway as New Delhi’s deepening ties with U.S. and Israel strain relations with Iran.
Two Indian ships carrying liquefied petroleum gas transited the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, but this does not signify a “blanket arrangement” with Tehran, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar told The Financial Times on Monday.
Jaishankar also denied claims that the safe passage for the two vessels was part of a quid pro quo deal with Iran, after New Delhi sent around 100 Iranian naval officers home on a special flight on Saturday, according to multiple media reports.
India — the world’s third‑largest importer of oil and second‑largest consumer of liquefied petroleum gas — is grappling with rising energy costs and panic‑buying amid tightening supplies triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
But a growing undercurrent of tensions with Tehran, combined with a widening public perception that New Delhi is tilting toward Washington, is weakening India’s ability to secure safe passage for its energy supplies, experts said.
