NEW DELHI, November 4 (Aalimi Nation) – Iran has said ships from India are exempt from the restrictions it has imposed on transit through the Strait of Hormuz, in a statement that offers a measure of relief to Indian shipping in one of the world's most contested waterways.
The remarks came from Ahmad Hayat-Moghaddam, vice chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, who was speaking at a meeting reviewing the country's economic and security situation. He said Iran had exempted four countries: India, China, Iraq and Qatar.
Why India was exempted
Hayat-Moghaddam said the exemption for India was tied to medicine supplies. "We have done this for the Indians so that we can import medicine," he said. He described the Chinese exemption as a way of securing political backing from Beijing, and added that vessels from the four countries could pass without limitation.
There was no immediate statement from the Ministry of External Affairs on the remarks. Indian officials have consistently urged all parties to keep merchant navigation in the strait open and safe.
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively shut to much of global traffic since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28. Since then, merchant shipping in and around the strait has come under repeated attack. The International Maritime Organisation said in September that it had verified at least 80 attacks on ships in and around the waterway, and that at least 22 seafarers had been killed.
Indian crews have not been spared. In June, three Indian seafarers were killed when a tanker near the strait was hit in a US strike, according to reports at the time. For India, which imports most of the crude oil it uses and has long relied on West Asian supplies, the strait is central to energy security and to the cost of fuel at home.
The statement comes at a delicate moment. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, its parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, have reportedly urged military leaders to engage constructively with a proposal mediated by Qatar to end the conflict. Qatari envoys have reportedly travelled to Tehran to collect Iran's official response to the proposed framework rather than to hold lengthy negotiations.
At the same time, Iranian internal assessments are reported to treat a return to direct hostilities with Washington as the most likely scenario. The United States has carried out fresh strikes on Iranian territory this week, and Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has warned of a broader response if Washington attacks again.
Whether the exemption holds in practice will depend on how the talks develop and on whether fighting resumes. Shipping companies and insurers will be watching for any formal notice setting out the conditions under which Indian-linked vessels may pass, including any procedure for verifying a ship's links to India.
Indian authorities have yet to say how they will respond to Iran's announcement. Officials in New Delhi have so far sought to keep channels open with Tehran while protecting Indian crews and cargoes, and a clarification from the government is likely to be closely followed by the shipping industry.
