Tehran has allowed some Indian ships to pass through the strait as a rare exception to the blockade, Iran’s ambassador to New Delhi said.
Published on 14 March 2026
Two Indian-flagged tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to ports in the west of the country have crossed Iran’s Strait of Hormuz, New Delhi said.
“They have crossed the Strait of Hormuz safely in the early morning and are on their way to India,” Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary in the Ministry of Shipping and Waterways, told a news conference in New Delhi on Saturday.
Recommended stories
List of 4 itemsEnd of list
Tehran has largely shut down traffic through the key sea route, which normally carries a fifth of global oil supplies, since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran late last month.
The war has prompted a critical shortage of cooking gas in India, a country with long-standing ties to Iran.
On Saturday, Iran’s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, said Tehran had allowed some Indian ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in a rare exception to the blockade that has disrupted global energy supplies.
Speaking at a conclave organized by India Today Media Group in New Delhi, Fathali did not confirm the number of ships provided safe passage.
About 20 percent of global oil and offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) is traded through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has said it will not allow any supplies to leave the strait to the US or its allies, but India has sought exemptions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke to Iranian President Masood Pezheshkian and discussed the transportation of goods and fuel from the Gulf.
Last week, the Indian government imposed emergency powers and directed refiners to maximize LPG production to prevent shortages of the cooking fuel. It cut sales to the industry to avoid shortages for its 333 million households with LPG connections.
India has urged LPG users to avoid panic buying of cylinders and switch to piped natural gas if possible.
India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry on Saturday said consumers with Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections are restricted from retaining, obtaining or refilling LPG cylinders for domestic use under the amended supply order.
The amendment will prohibit state-owned oil companies from providing LPG connections or refills to customers who already have PNG connections, the ministry said in a statement.
