Tehran/New Delhi: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed on Thursday, March 26, 2026, that Iran has officially permitted vessels from “friendly nations,” specifically including India, to transit the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. In a statement aired on Iranian State TV and echoed by the Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai, Araghchi listed India, China, Russia, Iraq, and Pakistan as the primary countries granted this reprieve. He clarified that while the strait is not “completely closed,” it remains strictly blocked for “enemies and their allies,” specifically citing the United States and Israel.
This diplomatic breakthrough follows weeks of intense communication between New Delhi and Tehran, including multiple conversations between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The decision is seen as a major win for Indian diplomacy, ensuring the continued flow of essential energy and fertilizer supplies at a time when global oil prices have surged toward $104 per barrel. Araghchi noted that India was among the first nations to coordinate directly with Iranian authorities, leading to the successful transit of two Indian LPG tankers, Pine Gas and Jag Vasant, earlier this week.
Despite this allowance for friendly states, the situation in the Persian Gulf remains precarious. The Iranian Parliament is reportedly finalizing a draft bill to formalize a toll system, which would charge a fee for providing security to ships passing through the waterway—a move international experts have described as a “de facto toll booth regime.” Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has renewed calls for a total reopening of the strait, warning that the “prolonged choking” of global supply chains is causing profound economic harm during a critical global planting season.
