India on Thursday (March 12, 2026) dismissed Indian and international media reports that claimed Iran had allowed Indian cargo ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz that Tehran has closed following the February 28 airstrikes by the US and Israel that killed its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it was “premature” to comment on the reports, even as External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart on three occasions in recent days in this regard.
“The External Affairs Minister and his Iranian counterpart have had three conversations in recent days. In the last conversation, they discussed issues about the safety of shipping and India’s energy security,” the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in his weekly media briefing.
“Beyond that, it would be premature to say anything,” he said, when asked about the reports of Iran allowing Indian cargo vessels to pass through the Hormuz Strait despite a blockade by Tehran and attacks on merchant ships passing through the narrow water body that is also a lifeline for global energy security.
Jaiswal’s remarks came hours after news reports claimed Iran agreed to allow oil tankers flying the Indian flag to transit the Hormuz Strait following diplomatic talks between New Delhi and Tehran, amidst a worsening security situation in West Asia over the military conflict.
Just ahead of Jaiswal’s media briefing, the MEA had said that an Indian crew member of a US-owned crude oil tanker, Safesea Vishnu, was killed on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) in an attack near Basra in Iraq.
“The remaining 15 Indian crew have since been evacuated to a safe place. Embassy of India in Baghdad is in regular contact with Iraqi authorities, rescued Indian sailors, and is offering all possible assistance,” the ministry said.
Apart from that, the ministry also confirmed that two Indian nationals died and one was missing after another merchant vessel on which they were a part of the crew came under attack in the region.
An Indian media report had earlier claimed that at least two Indian oil tankers, named Pushpak and Primal, had passed through the Hormuz Strait, even as American, European, and Israeli vessels faced a blockade by Iran from transiting the water body.
A Liberian-flagged tanker carrying crude from Saudi Arabia and captained by an Indian had also cleared the Hormuz Strait three days ago and had berthed at the Mumbai port, the report said.
The Liberian-flagged vessel became the first India-destined oil tanker to pass through the Hormuz Strait, where the maritime traffic had halted after the February 28 US-Israel airstrikes on Tehran that started the present West Asian military crisis and the resultant energy security challenges for the world.