‘Targeting of commercial shipping unacceptable’: India's message amid Strait of Hormuz blockade, Iran-US war

AMid a spike out in oil colour prices, a worldwide vim crisis and the on-going Iran-US war sparking tensions in the Middle East, India has condemned the targeting of commercial shipping in international waters, and called for de-escalation through dialogue and diplomacy.Addressing 36th extraordinary session of the Council of the IMO in London, Indian envoy Vikram Doraiswamy emphasised freedom of navigation and the safety of all seafarers and expressed concern over the blockade of routes along the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway used to transport one-fifth of the world's oil.The passage has been facing disruptions ever since the beginning of the ongoing Iran-US war, triggering a big spike in oil prices globally and raising concerns across countries, including India.Follow live updates on the US-Iran war here."Targeting of commercial shipping and attacks on civilian maritime infrastructure is unacceptable. Such attacks have resulted in the loss of innocent lives, injuries, and heightened risks, including to seafarers. India is among the top three seafarer-supplying nations, contributing approximately 13 per cent of the global seafaring workforce. We remain deeply concerned about the safety and welfare of all seafarers," Doraiswamy, the Indian High Commissioner to UK, said, as quoted by news agency ANI."The exercise of navigational rights and freedom by merchant and commercial vessels in accordance with international law must be respected, " he added.Indian ships stuck at seaWhile many Indian-flagged vessels have been cleared for passage despite the ongoing war, many of them still remain stranded at the key strait in the Persian Gulf. According to Bloomberg report, there are 22 India-flagged vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf, including six LPG carriers, one ship carrying liquefied natural gas and four crude oil tankers.However, a few fuel carriers have headed to India under their watchful eyes as India is deploying more warships to the Gulf of Oman for their safe passage, as reported by HT earlier.India expects Iran to allow the movement of ships safely amid its ongoing conflict with the US. However, external affairs minister S Jaishankar had earlier clarified that there was no “blanket arrangement” for the movement of ships and that Iran got “nothing” in exchange. Iran maintains that the key passage is open for operations to all, except American and Israeli carriers.Oil crisis to escalate?The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is no longer the sole focal point of global energy concerns. Escalating tensions, marked by US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s critical energy infrastructure and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks on oil and gas facilities across the Middle East, have heightened fears of a prolonged and widening crisis.The South Pars Gas Field, with forms part of the world’s largest gas field and is a crucial energy source for Iran, was recently targeted by Israel. In response, Iranian missiles hit a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility at Ras Laffan Industrial City in northern Qatar.Besides, Gulf nations like the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are regularly reporting missile interceptions as Iran continues to target the Middle East.