India ‘calls in’ Iranian envoy, conveys ‘deep concern’ after two oil tankers prevented from crossing Strait of Hormuz
NEW DELHI : Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Saturday (April 18, 2026) met Iran’s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, and conveyed India’s “deep concern” after two India-bound energy-carrying vessels were prevented from transiting the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian naval guards.
This is the first instance of India-bound energy carriers being prevented by the naval units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran during the ongoing fortnight-long ceasefire in the U.S.-Iran conflict, which came into effect on April 8. A day earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi had said that the Strait of Hormuz was “completely open” for the remaining period of the ceasefire.
“During the meeting, the Foreign Secretary conveyed India’s deep concern at the shooting incident earlier today (Saturday) involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz. He noted the importance that India attached to the safety of merchant shipping and mariners and recalled that Iran had earlier facilitated the safe passage of several ships bound for India,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, adding Mr. Misri “urged the Ambassador to convey India’s views to the authorities in Iran and resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait.”
The Ministry described the meeting as the Ambassador being “called in”, not “summoned”.
Mr. Misri had represented India in an international meeting organised virtually by the United Kingdom and France on Friday, where at least 44 countries discussed the need for maintaining free and open navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a social media post on Friday, Mr. Araghchi had said, “In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of the ceasefire”.
U.S. President Donald Trump also announced on the same day on his Truth Social platform that “Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. It will no longer be used as a weapon against the World.”
However, soon after the announcement by Mr. Araghchi, the IRGC announced that the strait had reverted to “strict control” because of what it described as the U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iranian ships. The IRGC also termed it as acts of “piracy” by the U.S. Navy. In a statement shared by Tehran Times, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters spokesperson said, “Following the U.S. violations, transit through the Strait of Hormuz has reverted to its previous state of strict military control.”
The strait has emerged as a critical chokepoint since tensions escalated after the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran on February 28. Iran has maintained that navigation remains open. However, it has indicated that it would impose restrictions on ships belonging to the U.S., Israel and several other Western countries, while allowing China-bound ships to transit through the strait.
Source : HB
