Iranian lawmaker says India and three other countries are exempt from Hormuz transit curbs

Iran is allowing merchant vessels from India, China, Iraq and Qatar to transit the Strait of Hormuz under exemptions from Tehran’s shipping restrictions, a senior Iranian lawmaker said on 3 November. Amir Hayat-Moghaddam, deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said facilitating Indian shipping would help Iran secure supplies of medicines from India.

Hayat-Moghaddam said Iran charged Indian and Chinese vessels for passage, while Qatari vessels could transit free of charge. His account left the fee arrangements for Iraqi ships and the basis for determining a vessel’s eligibility unclear. He also said US forces had allowed ships from the four countries to pass.

The lawmaker linked the exemptions to Iran’s interests in its trading partners. For India, he identified pharmaceutical supplies as the priority. For China, he cited the importance Tehran attached to Beijing’s political support. His November remarks described the arrangements in general terms, without identifying a tariff, a collection procedure or a specific ship that had paid.

Earlier statements from both governments concerned specific voyages. On 13 April, Iran’s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, said Indian tankers that had crossed the strait up to that point had done so without paying tolls. New Delhi had also denied making payments to secure passage for nine vessels carrying liquefied petroleum gas. Those assurances concerned the earlier crossings, while the November fee claim comes from the parliamentary official.

This story was originally published by Maritime Gateway. Read the full story at Maritime Gateway →