Iran’s Ambassador to India says vessels bound for India through the Strait of Hormuz will be granted safe passage, because ‘India is a friend’

Iran’s Ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, has confirmed that Tehran will grant safe passage to vessels bound for India through the Strait of Hormuz, citing the longstanding friendship and shared interests between the two countries amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

Responding to a direct question on whether Iran would allow Indian-bound ships safe transit through the critical waterway, a vital route for global energy supplies, Ambassador Fathali stated: “Yes. Because India and I are friends. You can see in the future and I think that after two or three hours. Because we believe that. We believe that Iran and India are friends. We have common interests; we have a common fate.”

He went on to stress the mutual bond between the nations, adding, “Suffering of the people of India is our suffering and vice versa. And for this reason, the government of India help us, and we should help the government of India because we have a common fate and common interest.”

Ambassador Fathali further revealed that Iranian officials had instructed the embassy in New Delhi to facilitate support for the Indian government. “We believe as ambassadors in India that we have a common fate in the region and for this reason all the high-ranking officials from Iran instructed the embassy of Iran in India to pave the way for the Indian government,” he said.

The assurance comes as tensions in West Asia have disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following the escalation of conflict between Iran on one side and Israel and the United States on the other. The fighting began on 28 February after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint US-Israeli strikes, prompting Iranian retaliation that has affected the waterway and global energy markets.

Earlier on Friday, Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, Representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader in India, told ANI that Tehran had never intended to close the strait, noting that some ships were still able to pass despite the current conditions. He called on world leaders to pressure US President Donald Trump to end the war.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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