Oil tanker transit through Hormuz secured as Jaishankar holds calls with Iran's Araghchi amid West Asia conflict: Report

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, on Thursday said that EAM Jaishankar held three telephonic conversations with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, to ensure the safety of commercial shipping and protect India's energy security amid the ongoing Israel-US-Iran conflict. After the talks, the movement of Indian oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz was stabilised, news agency PTI reported.

“External Affairs Minister and the Foreign Minister of Iran have had three conversations in recent days. The last one discussed issues pertaining to the safety of shipping and India's energy security. Beyond that, it would be premature for me to say anything,” said Jaiswal.

To date, as many as 19 ships have been hit by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz with some seven persons being killed in the attack, mentioned a report by Hindustan Times. Even though two Shipping Corporation of India(SCI) tankers Pushpak and Piramal managed to cross the Strait of Hormuz without escort between last night and Thursday morning, three other tankers were hit by Iranian projectiles and suffered damage.

"We've had some 9,000 Indian nationals who were there or who are there in Iran. These 9,000 Indian nationals comprise students. They also comprise seafarers, some business people, some professionals, and some pilgrims. Of these 9,000, you would have seen that we had issued an advisory some time back. Our mission issued an advisory following those advisories, which were issued on the 14th of January, if I'm not wrong, and 23rd of February, several Indian nationals, mostly students, a lot of students, left the country and reached home," said the MEA spokesperson.

(This is a developing story. Keep checking for more updates)