NewDelhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation in the petroleum, crude oil, gas, power, and fertilizer sectors in view of the ongoing war in the Middle East.
During the meeting, discussions focused on ensuring an uninterrupted supply, stable logistics, and efficient distribution across the country.
This development comes as, since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, Iran has effectively restricted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and carried out attacks on multiple vessels. Tensions have been further exacerbated by repeated strikes on regional energy facilities and commercial shipping. Iran has maintained a hardline stance, previously declaring that it would not allow “even a single litre of oil” bound for the United States, Israel, or their allies to pass through the waterway.
Tehran has now clarified that foreign ships may continue to transit the strategic waterway, provided they coordinate with Iranian authorities for security. Iran’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ali Mousavi, reiterated this position, stating that the “Strait of Hormuz is only closed to Iran’s enemies.”
The war in the Middle East shows no signs of abating. On Saturday, President Donald Trump gave Iran a 48-hour deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face threats to “obliterate” the country’s power plants if it fails to comply. Iran has shown no sign of backing down and has threatened to escalate the conflict. In a statement on Sunday, it warned that if its fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked, it would target fuel, energy, information technology systems, and desalination infrastructure used by the United States and its regional allies.
The conflict began on February 28 following a joint US-Israel strike that reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior Iranian officials. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting US military installations across West Asia, including sites in Iraq, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.
More than 2,300 people have been killed in Iran since the fighting began, including over 1,300 civilians. Nearly 200 of the dead are children under the age of 12.
Iranian officials have since indicated they may halt strikes on neighbouring countries, provided those nations are not used as bases for attacks against Iran.
Bureau Report
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