Iran has "good contact" with the Indian government on passage of the South Asian nation's ships through the Strait of Hormuz and wants to help New Delhi, Iranian Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali said on Monday.
The US-Israeli war on Iran, which began in February, has restricted shipping through the key route - a conduit for 40 per cent of India's crude imports - impacting trade and squeezing oil supplies.
Indian tankers that have transited through the Strait of Hormuz did not pay tolls to Iran, the ambassador said, after US President Donald Trump vowed to block passage for vessels making payments to Iran.
"You can ask the Indian government if we have charged anything up to now," Fathali told reporters. “In this difficult time, we have good relations. We believe Iran and India share common interests and a common fate,” he added.
India has repeatedly denied paying any toll to secure the exit of nine ships carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) through the strategic waterway since Iran effectively barred transit following the outbreak of the Iran war.
India says 15 India-flagged vessels remain stuck in the Persian Gulf. About half of India’s crude oil and LPG supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
