Iran exempts ships from India, China, Iraq, Qatar from Hormuz restrictions

Iran has exempted merchant vessels from India, China, Iraq and Qatar from restrictions on using the Strait of Hormuz, and the measure is aimed at facilitating the procurement of medicines from India, an influential Iranian lawmaker has said.

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman. (Reuters)Amir Hayat-Moghaddam, deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, said ships from these four countries can “pass freely” through the strategic waterway and the US too is not stopping them either.

“We have currently exempted India, China, Iraq and Qatar from transit restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. Ships from these countries pass freely, and the Americans do not intercept them either,” Hayat-Moghaddam said in an interview with the Iranian Students' News Agency on Tuesday.

Also read | Besieged by war, Saudi Aramco continues to gush profits The exemptions are aimed at shoring up Iran’s interests related to these countries, he indicated. Iran is facilitating the passage of Indian ships to enable the import of medicines from India, while the exemption for Chinese shipping is aimed at securing China's political support, he said, speaking in Farsi.

Hayat-Moghaddam said Iran collects transit fees from Indian and Chinese vessels, and allows Qatari vessels to pass without charges. He didn't specify whether Iraqi vessels have to pay transit fees. India imports almost 90% of its crude oil needs and about 30% of these imports currently pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

In the past, the strait accounted for 70% of India's crude imports, but the dependence has declined because New Delhi has begun diversifying imports with purchases from Russia, the US, West Africa, and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since the start of the West Asia conflict.

Also read | Iran president says return to war benefits 'no one', after reported US strikes on Qeshm island However, 90% of India's LPG imports transit the Strait of Hormuz, and more than 50% of its LNG imports from Qatar and the UAE is transported through the waterway.

The strait is also crucial for the country's fertiliser imports. Following Iran’s decision to close the Strait of Hormuz and impose restrictions on the passage of merchant shipping, India has repeatedly called for the unimpeded movement of energy supplies and freedom of navigation in international waterways.

The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, currently accounts for almost 25% of global sea-borne oil supplies originating in West Asian countries. Also read | Indian injured in attack on Saudi airport dies, total West Asia toll now 24 Hayat-Moghaddam’s remarks came against the backdrop of continuing restrictions on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The European Union (EU) has said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has put in place a system requiring ships to provide identification and information on their cargo and destination in order to secure passage.

According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), there were at least 70 attacks on merchant ships between the start of the conflict in February and August. These attacks resulted in the death of 19 seafarers. Fifteen seafarers are among the 24 Indians killed so far in the West Asia conflict.

Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years.

He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine.

Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack.

As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest.

He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More