India on Tuesday reiterated its call for safe, free, and unimpeded navigation through the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing regional tensions and risks to civilian shipping. The demand, reported on Tuesday, comes as attacks on tankers in the strait continue, with 37 ships attacked in October and ten more hit so far in November, and as New Delhi pledged full support for detained Indian seafarers.
Why it matters
The statement matters because India is one of the biggest users of the strait. The country imports most of its crude oil through Gulf shipping lanes, and every tanker that burns in Hormuz raises the cost of energy for Indian households and businesses. The same day, Indian markets rallied sharply, with the Sensex jumping more than 1,300 points, helped by crude touching a two month low.
The detained captain is the human face of the crisis. India pledged full support for Captain Ajay Pant, detained amid the shipping war, and the case has become a symbol of the risks civilian seafarers now face in a waterway that carries a fifth of the world traded oil. The seafarers did not choose the war, but they are the ones sailing through it.
What happens next
The wider picture is a strait that is no longer safe for anyone. A tanker was struck northeast of Oman Lima on Tuesday, Iran Revolutionary Guards Navy said two tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines, and oil rebounded to 92.20 dollars a barrel as the attacks offset hopes for a de-escalation in the Iran war.
What happens next will be decided by whether the diplomacy can protect the shipping. President Donald Trump said he plans to hold off on new strikes against Iran for now while keeping up a naval blockade, and the Abu Dhabi talks entered a second day on Wednesday. For now, India has said what every user of the strait is thinking: the shipping must be safe, free and unimpeded. The Sensex jumped more than 1,300 points on the same day, helped by crude touching a two month low, so the shipping war cuts both ways for India.
