India has confirmed that eleven India-bound ships have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States aimed at halting hostilities.
At the same time, ten Indian-flagged vessels remain in the Persian Gulf region, with two additional Indian ships having crossed into the Gulf from the opposite side. The Ministry of External Affairs provided this operational assessment during its regular press briefing, underscoring the fragile yet improving maritime situation.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that since the signing of the MoU, eleven vessels destined for India have crossed the Strait of Hormuz. This development comes against the backdrop of prolonged instability surrounding the critical maritime chokepoint, which is a primary corridor for international hydrocarbon and liquefied gas shipments.
The Strait of Hormuz had been reopened for traffic last week under the preliminary Washington-Tehran agreement, but Iranian authorities announced a renewed closure on Saturday following Israeli military strikes inside Lebanon. Despite this, commercial shipping traffic has accelerated in recent days.
Independent maritime tracking agencies have reported heightened activity through the Strait, signalling a recovery in transport volumes after months of disruption. Commodity analytics firm Kpler recorded no fewer than thirty-six resource carriers sailing through the Strait on Monday, marking one of the busiest operational windows since the conflict began in late February.
This surge reflects a noticeable rebound in maritime operations after severe bottlenecks caused by the closure of the passage following the US-Israel attack on Iran on 28 February.
The Iran-US MoU, formalised last week, has created a sixty-day diplomatic window to address long-standing strategic issues. This agreement followed months of direct military confrontations that destabilised West Asian energy corridors and disrupted international financial markets.
The diplomatic breakthrough has temporarily eased tensions, allowing for the resumption of critical shipping operations, though the situation remains volatile given the renewed closure announced by Tehran.
India’s ability to move eleven ships through the Strait highlights the importance of sustained diplomatic engagement and careful navigation of the evolving geopolitical landscape. The continued presence of ten Indian vessels in the Gulf underscores the need for ongoing coordination with regional stakeholders to ensure safe passage and uninterrupted maritime trade. The developments also reflect the delicate balance between diplomacy and military realities in one of the world’s most strategically vital waterways.