India said negotiations with Iran have enabled two Indian-flagged ships to safely pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions in the region.
India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told the Financial Times that direct talks with Tehran helped secure the transit of two Indian gas tankers through the waterway on Saturday.
“I am at the moment engaged in talking to them and my talking has yielded some results,” Jaishankar said, adding that discussions with Iranian officials are continuing.
India relies heavily on imports for its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), with around 60 percent of the household fuel coming from overseas. Nearly 90 percent of those imports originate from Gulf producers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with much of the fuel transported through the Strait of Hormuz.
More than 330 million households across India depend on LPG cylinders for cooking, making the uninterrupted flow of supplies crucial.
Meanwhile, videos circulating on social media have shown long queues outside cooking-gas dealers in several Indian cities as concerns grow over possible supply disruptions. Some restaurants have also reportedly closed temporarily due to shortages.
With inputs from BBC