India raising its pitch on keeping Hormuz Strait open

India appears to be raising its pitch and involvement in international efforts to ensure safe and free movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz which has emerged as a key flashpoint in the West Asian war.

The calibrated build-up to this is evident in two diplomatic developments with the latest one coming 2 April when Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri joined a gathering of over 60 countries convened by Britain in London on resuming shipping through the Strait, the key energy and trade artery.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Misri, in his remarks at the London meeting, noted the importance of the principles of freedom of navigation and unimpeded transit through international waterways and pointed to New Delhi's heightened stakes by pointing out that "India remains the only country to have lost mariners in attacks on merchant shipping in the Gulf.

India's participation in the meeting in London comes in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in all his telephonic conversations with world leaders including Gulf countries and Iran, in recent days, unfailingly flagging the issue of safe and free navigation through the Strait through which 20% of the world's energy trade and an overwhelming oil and gas supplies pass.

The London meeting, which ended without any specific agreement, was convened to look at political, economic and diplomatic measures to begin with for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Also, the UK is also looking at marshalling its defence forces to ensure the security of the Strait once the current conflict in the Gulf gets over.

The discussions took place after Trump said on Wednesday (1 April) evening that it was the responsibility of countries that ⁠rely on the waterway to ensure it was open.

According to a Reuters report, European officials said Thursday's initial meeting focused on which countries were prepared to participate in the proposed coalition and the diplomatic and economic options available to persuade Iran to open the Strait.

The report said the next stage of talks will be when military planners meet next week to discuss options including potential mine-clearing work and providing a reassurance force for commercial shipping, it added.

One may recall that European countries had initially refused Trump's demand to send ‌their navies ⁠to the area because of fears about being dragged into the conflict.

There are reports about countries talking about coalition and as to what should be done to strengthen the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. In several forums and at several places, various initiatives are being discussed and India is closely following the developments, MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told the weekly media briefing on 2 April.

A number of countries including Japan, Australia, France and Germany had signed a joint statement in mid-March calling on Iran to allow the free navigation of ships through the choke point.

Right now, India is clearly hedging its bets on any international coalition to ensure safe and freedom of movement through the Strait and would like to see what shape it takes. All that India wants, as Jaiswal said on 2 April, is: safe and free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz as "a matter of priority." He also framed the unimpeded movement of ships through the Strait is that its blockade impinges on energy security not just for India but for the world at large.

At the weekly briefing on 27 March, Jaiswal was asked whose property is Strait of Hormuz and what is its legal situation? Jaiswal replied "Strait of Hormuz, well, you asked me a technical question. I may be off, but just to let you know that what I understand (is) that the Strait of Hormuz is categorized as international waters and international law applies there. But there are discussions happening in relevant bodies, including the International Maritime Organization, on some of these matters."

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was quoted by The Times of India as saying at an event in Kerala on Thursday that "our Navy is safely escorting Indian tankers out of the Strait of Hormuz. "We are closely monitoring the state of affairs in West Asia and are prepared to deal with any situation." This remark was seen as an official acknowledgement of a media report that said the Indian Navy had launched 'Operation Urja Suraksha' (Operation Energy Security) to protect India-bound cargo vessels in the war-hit area.

An official statement on Thursday (2 April) quoted Rajnath, underlining at a meeting of an informal group of ministers set up by India on West Asia war fall-outs, the importance of round-the-clock monitoring of the situation and the need to respond in a calibrated manner to deal with any eventuality."