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India denies needing Iran's permission for ships to pass through Strait of Hormuz
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had earlier told the media that there was no blanket agreement with Iran for the country’s ships passing through the strait
- PUBLISHED: Wed 25 Mar 2026, 1:06 PM
[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid US-Israel-Iran war for the latest regional developments.]
Permission is not needed for ships to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, an Indian government spokesman told the media in Delhi on Wednesday.
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"The decision to sail through the strait is taken between the shipping company and the one which has chartered the ship,” said Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
Sinha also rejected claims that stranded Indian ships needed clearance from Iran. India has also not paid any fees or protection money for the safe passage of its ships, he noted.
“It is the decision of the charterer and shipping company when to sail or when not to sail. Since these are special circumstances, they assess the situation with regard to safety before deciding," he added.
According to Sinha, international navigation conventions cover the strait and there is freedom for navigation through it.
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“Since the strait is narrow, only the entry and exit lanes are demarked which need to be followed by shipping lines,” he added, denying that stranded Indian vessels in the Gulf were being allowed to sail after reaching some agreement with Iran, which controls the narrow shipping lane.
India has been engaged with Iran diplomatically to ensure safe passage of its vessels through the strait. India’s external affairs minister S. Jaishankar had earlier told the media that there was no blanket agreement with Iran for the country’s ships passing through the strait.
The Hormuz is a crucial channel for India’s imports of crude oil, LPG, natural gas, nitrogen fertilisers and petrochemicals, and ships carrying these commodities have to pass through it. India imports 88 per cent of its crude oil, 60 per cent of LPG and 50 per cent of natural gas.
Besides LPG, about 40 per cent of its crude oil imports are through the strait. The ongoing US-Israel-Iran war has seen about 500 tankers stranded within the channel.
According to the Indian government, five India-flagged, LPG carriers (with 230,000 tonnes of cooking gas) are stuck at the Hormuz, besides 20 other India-flagged vessels. They include four crude oil tankers, three containers, two bulk carriers, three vessels in the dry dock for maintenance, besides a chemical carrier and an LNG tanker. When the war broke out, there were 28 Indian-flagged vessels in the strait.
The Indian Navy is also guiding India-flagged vessels through the Gulf waters in its Operation Urja Suraksha, with its warships providing protection.
