India secured a diplomatic breakthrough with Iran during the ongoing US-Israel war, enabling the passage of two Indian LPG carriers through the Strait of Hormuz after days of disruption, following a series of engagements by New Delhi.
The development came soon after foreign secretary Vikram Misri visited the Iranian embassy in New Delhi to convey condolences on the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
This was followed by a second phone call between external affairs minister S. Jaishankar and his Iranian counterpart since the conflict began, Bloomberg reported.
Within a week of the outreach, Tehran allowed two India-flagged liquefied petroleum gas vessels to exit the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy corridor where traffic had slowed sharply.
Shipping data and industry sources said on Friday that the two Indian-flagged LPG tankers were preparing to sail through the strait in the coming days after a pause in voyages.
Until then, only a handful of ships, largely linked to Iran and China, had managed to pass through the narrow waterway.
No crude oil tankers, however, had transited the route in the previous 24 hours, underscoring the continued fragility of maritime movement.
The conflict in West Asia has put India’s diplomatic strategy to a test, with New Delhi forced to balance its energy dependence on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran against its deepening economic and defence ties with the United States and Israel.
Until March 5, the Modi government had maintained silence on the attacks.
That position shifted after Iran’s closure of the strait raised the prospect of cooking gas shortages for millions of Indian households.
Momentum in engagements gathered pace when an Iranian warship docked in Kochi carrying 183 crew members. The docking coincided with a US submarine strike on an IRGC vessel near Sri Lanka, which left more than 80 personnel dead and dozens missing.
Ashok Malik, a former joint secretary at the foreign ministry and now a partner at The Asia Group, said Tehran appeared to view India’s decision to allow the vessel to dock, along with the subsequent repatriation of its crew, as a constructive signal.
Jaishankar has maintained that there is no blanket agreement between New Delhi and Tehran on the safe passage of Indian vessels. Clearances, officials say, are being negotiated on a case-by-case basis, reflecting the fluid and uncertain security environment.
Around 20 India-flagged ships remain stranded in the Persian Gulf, including six LPG carriers, one LNG vessel and four crude oil tankers.
Indian officials have insisted that there was no trade-off involved in the negotiations and have dismissed reports that Iran had demanded the release of three tankers seized in February over alleged oil smuggling.
Reports also suggest Tehran has sought to exert pressure within BRICS, where it is a recent entrant, to push for a condemnation of US-Israeli strikes.
Such a move is likely to prove contentious, with members including the UAE and Saudi Arabia unlikely to support a position given ongoing Iranian attacks on their infrastructure.
Before the US sanctions, India maintained longstanding energy ties with Iran and imported significant volumes of its crude. It also operates the Chabahar Port under a long-term agreement, providing a strategic route to Afghanistan and Central Asia while bypassing Pakistan.
Former Indian ambassador to Iran Gaddam Dharmendra said Iran remained a key regional player owing to its size and resource base, adding that India’s historic ties with Tehran had evolved into a modern strategic partnership, particularly through cooperation on Chabahar port operations.