India does not have a "blanket arrangement" with Iran for Indian-flagged ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said.
In an interview with Financial Times, Jaishankar stated that talks with Iran on the safe passage of Indian vessels through the crucial waterway are "ongoing" and "yielding results".
He cited the negotiations, which have resulted in two Indian-flagged gas tankers passing through the strait on Saturday, as an example of what diplomacy could bring.
"I am at the moment engaged in talking to them, and my talking has yielded some results," he said. "This is ongoing. If it is yielding results for me, I would naturally continue to look at it."
Jai Shankar added that there was no "blanket arrangement" with Iran for Indian-flagged ships to transit the strait, and that "every ship movement is an individual happening".
He denied that Iran had received anything in exchange, and cited a "history of dealing with each other... which is the basis on which I engaged".
Jaishankar's comments came in the wake of US President Donald Trump's demand that other countries, such as China, France, and the UK, should send warships to help the US force open the critical waterway, even as energy prices surged after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.
