Since Wednesday evening, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have allowed 30 vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, including several Chinese and a couple of Indian ships. Iran granted the passage after an appeal from China’s Foreign Minister and the Chinese Ambassador to Iran. Tehran cited the existing China-Iran Strategic Partnership as the basis for this move.
India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways had stated that two vessels carrying LPG supplies bound for India have also been allowed to pass through the Strait. According to WION, one of the vessels is a Marshall Islands-flagged carrier containing 19,965 metric tonnes of LPG with 21 crew members onboard, which crossed the Strait on May 13 and is said to arrive at Kandla Port in Gujarat on May 16.
Meanwhile, the Vietnam-flagged NV Sunshine is carrying more than 45 thousand metric tonnes of LPG with 24 crew onboard and is expected to arrive at New Mangalore Port on May 18. This move comes after an India-flagged vessel named Haji Ali, which was sailing from Somalia to Sharjah, was attacked by a drone on Wednesday and sank off the coast of Oman; the 14 Indian crew members of the vessel were safely rescued by the Iranian authorities.
This relaxation of passage comes amid Donald Trump's state visit to China, where both presidents agreed that reopening the Strait is essential for energy resources such as oil, LPG, and CNG to reach countries whose energy security has been threatened by the conflict. President Xi also extended a helping hand regarding the West Asia conflict and promised that China would not extend military assistance to Iran for the conflict.
President Xi has also shown interest in diverting oil purchases to the US so that the country can reduce its dependence on the Strait and ensure an uninterrupted energy supply.
This permission of passage can be understood as a move based on a strategic relationship with both countries, and it is bound to take time for a complete opening up of the Strait.
