India on Tuesday confirmed that 11 India-bound ships have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States to halt hostilities. The announcement came from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a regular press briefing.
Current Status of Indian Vessels
Jaiswal stated that ten Indian-flagged vessels remain in the Persian Gulf region. Additionally, two Indian ships have crossed from the other side into the Persian Gulf. Since the MoU was signed, eleven vessels destined for India have traversed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint for global energy shipments.
Background of the Strait Closure
The Strait of Hormuz had been cleared for traffic last week under the preliminary Washington-Tehran MoU. However, Iranian authorities on Saturday proclaimed a renewed closure of the waterway following Israeli military strikes inside Lebanon. The instability has disrupted international hydrocarbon and liquefied gas shipments that rely on this corridor.
Recovery in Shipping Traffic
Independent maritime tracking agencies have reported heightened commercial shipping traffic in recent days, signaling a noticeable recovery after severe bottlenecks caused by the Strait's closure since the US-Israel attack on Iran on February 28. According to commodity analytics firm Kpler, at least 36 resource carriers sailed through the Strait on Monday, marking one of the densest operational windows since the conflict began in February.
Diplomatic Framework
The Iran-US MoU, formalized last week, initiated a 60-day diplomatic window to resolve long-standing strategic issues after months of direct military confrontations that destabilized West Asian energy corridors and disrupted international financial markets.
