Iran exempts vessels of India, China, Iraq and Qatar in Strait of Hormuz

According to a Hindustan Times report, Iran has exempted merchant vessels of India, China, Iraq and Qatar from restrictions on the use of the Strait of Hormuz. Amir Hayat-Moghaddam, deputy chairman of the national security and foreign policy committee of the Iranian parliament, has provided information regarding this. In an interview, he stated that the ships of these four countries can pass freely through the strategic waterway and the US is also not stopping them.

The purpose of this relaxation is to strengthen Iran's interests with these countries. Speaking in Persian, Amir Hayat-Moghaddam indicated that the movement of Indian ships is being facilitated to ensure the import of medicines from India. Meanwhile, the exemption granted to Chinese shipping aims to secure China's political support. He stated that Iran collects transit fees from Indian and Chinese ships, while allowing Qatari ships to pass without any charges. However, he did not clarify whether Iraqi ships will have to pay transit fees.

India imports about 90% of its crude oil requirements and approximately 30% of this import currently passes through the Strait of Hormuz. In the past, India's crude imports from this strait were 70%, but this dependence has decreased since the beginning of the West Asian conflict as New Delhi started diversifying imports by purchasing from Russia, the US, West Africa and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Yet, 90% of India's LPG imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and more than 50% of LNG imports coming from Qatar and the UAE are transported through this same waterway. This strait is also extremely important for the country's fertilizer imports. Following Iran's decision to close the Strait of Hormuz and impose restrictions on merchant shipping movement, India has repeatedly demanded uninterrupted movement of energy supplies and freedom of navigation in international waterways.

The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, accounts for about 25% of the global seaborne oil supply originating from West Asian countries. These remarks by Amir Hayat-Moghaddam come against the backdrop of ongoing restrictions on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. It has been stated by the European Union (EU) that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy of Iran has made it necessary for ships to install a system providing information about their identity, cargo and destination to secure safe passage.

According to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), there were at least 70 attacks on merchant vessels from the start of the conflict in February until August. As a result of these attacks, 19 maritime personnel lost their lives. Out of the 24 Indians killed so far in the West Asian conflict, 15 are maritime personnel.