The move aims to facilitate medicine imports from India and secure political support from China, according to an Iranian lawmaker.
Iran has exempted merchant vessels from India, China, Iraq and Qatar from transit restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports by Hindustan Times, India TV and Outlook. Amir Hayat-Moghaddam, the vice chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, said on Tuesday that ships from these four nations can pass through the waterway freely.
Speaking to the Iranian Students' News Agency, Hayat-Moghaddam claimed that the United States is not intercepting these vessels. He stated that the exemptions serve Iran's diplomatic and economic interests, noting that facilitating Indian shipping helps the procurement of medicines from India, while the measure for China is intended to secure political support from Beijing.
The lawmaker added that Iran collects transit fees from vessels from India and China, but allows Qatari ships to pass without charges. He did not specify if Iraqi vessels are required to pay fees.
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is a vital route for India's energy security. While India has diversified its crude oil sources to include Russia, the US, West Africa and the UAE, approximately 30 per cent of its crude imports still pass through the strait. Additionally, 90 per cent of India's LPG imports and over 50 per cent of its LNG from Qatar and the UAE transit the waterway.
The European Union has noted that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy requires ships to provide identification and cargo details to secure passage. The International Maritime Organization reported at least 70 attacks on merchant ships between February and August, resulting in 19 deaths. Of the 24 Indians killed in the West Asia conflict so far, 15 were seafarers.
