India opts for diplomacy over deployment on Strait of Hormuz navigation

US President Donald Trump's appeal to his allies to help build a coalition of navies to keep the Hormuz Strait free for navigation has found very few takers, as none of them wants to get involved in a war they did not initiate.

While a significant 20-25% of global energy supplies pass through the strait, Trump's NATO allies remain reluctant to become embroiled in the conflict.

For India, 40-50% of crude oil and more than 80% of LPG imports transit through the Hormuz Strait, according to official data.

India's Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told Parliament last week that "the world has not faced a moment like this in modern energy history" and that, for the first time in recorded history, the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed to commercial shipping. 

Despite India having no role in causing the conflict, it has to deal with its fallout, he pointed out.

So, what is the path ahead for India to ensure its energy security through the Hormuz Strait? India should brace for joining a major geopolitical conversation on the issue. Should it join an international naval coalition to protect the strait?

Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reporters yesterday (16 March) that New Delhi is "not in any bilateral talks" on being part of any coalition to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

"We are aware this matter is being discussed bilaterally by several countries. We have had no such bilateral discussion yet," he said when asked if Indian Navy ships could be committed to such an operation.

So far, only three or four Indian ships have managed passage through the strait.

Around the time Trump made his appeal for a naval coalition, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was quoted by the Financial Times as saying that his talks with Iranian officials had yielded results and that communication continues.

Noting that "many more" Indian-flagged ships are yet to cross the strait, he clarified that every vessel moves through the key waterway on a case-by-case basis and that there is no "blanket arrangement" with Iran on the matter.

This notably signals that India has opted for diplomacy rather than naval deployment.

India has stepped up diplomatic engagement with Iran to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, choosing dialogue with Tehran over the military approach advocated by the US and Israel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, while Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Abbas Aragchi at least four times.

India has described direct engagement with Iranian authorities as the most effective way to resume commercial traffic through the strait.

With India heavily dependent on energy imports from the Gulf, the stakes are high for New Delhi.

But India also recognises that joining any international coalition to secure shipping through the Hormuz Strait risks drawing it into the spiralling West Asia conflict.

India once again finds itself engaged in a delicate diplomatic balancing act – maintaining engagement with Iran to protect its energy security while preserving its broader partnership with the United States, which is New Delhi's largest export market.

Diversification is the name of the strategic diplomatic game. India appears focused on keeping channels open with all sides.