Iran has asked New Delhi to return three ships that the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) had seized in an operation earlier this month.
This comes amid talks between the two nations about safe passage for Indian-flagged—or India-bound—vessels through the embattled Hormuz Strait, which Iran has said operates under "special conditions", as per a Reuters report citing three officials in the know.
The narrow escape of the Indian-flagged crude oil tanker Jag Laadki (IMO: 9461764) from a Saturday attack on the Fujairah Port in the UAE—and subsequent travel without any issues—is the latest instance of the successful high-level diplomatic talks between India and Iran.
The petroleum ministry reiterated that two other Indian-flagged LPG tankers—the 'Shivalik' and the 'Nanda Devi'—were en route to Indian ports.
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It is expected to join the Shivalik (IMO: 9356892) and the Nanda Devi (IMO: 9232503)—both of which safely crossed the Hormuz Strait amid the chaos in the Gulf. The Shivalik reached India on Monday, while the Nanda Devi is expected to reach the next day.
AIS data shows that the attacked bulk carrier 'Mayuree Naree' is among the 22 vessels that the Deendayal Port is expected to handle over the weekend.
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This comes after Iran on Friday confirmed safe passage for Indian-flagged vessels travelling through the Hormuz Strait, following high-level diplomatic talks between the two nations.
The Indian Coast Guard operation
Three vessels, identified as the MT Asphalt Star (IMO: 9463528), Al Jafzia (IMO: 9171498), and MT Stellar Ruby (IMO: 9555199), were intercepted by the ICG about 100 nautical miles away off the coast of Mumbai on February 5-6.
Notably, the MT Stellar Ruby is the only Iranian-flagged vessel of the three, while the Al Jafzia carries a Nicaraguan flag and the MT Asphalt Star flies a Malian flag. AIS data also shows the three vessels docked in India.
They were reportedly found to be falsely flagged and were suspected of involvement in illegal ship-to-ship fuel (and bitumen) transfers within New Delhi's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) without informing Indian authorities.
The operation targeted “an organised network involved in illicit mid-sea transfers of oil and oil-based cargo from conflict-affected regions,” the ICG had said at the time, not mentioning an Iranian link.
Around the time of the seizure, Iranian state media had reportedly denied Tehran's connection to the vessels.
The ICG move had also prompted a response from Dubai-based Indian national Jugwinder Singh Brar, owner of the three allegedly Iran-linked ships.
He had also threatened to file a defamation case against the Indian authorities for seizing his “innocent ships”, as per a Tradewinds News report.
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