Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has said he is hopeful that talks with Iran are beginning to ease shipping disruptions for the country’s vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

“I am at the moment engaged in talking to them and my talking has yielded some results,” he told the Financial Times.

He added, however, that there was no “blanket arrangement” for all Indian ships to pass through the narrow waterway, a vital oil shipping channel.

Two Indian-flagged gas tankers passed through the strait on Saturday after discussions progressed between Delhi and Tehran. Twenty-two Indian-flagged vessels are still waiting for clearance to pass through the channel.

The war in the Middle East – which began after US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran on 28 February – has led to Iran almost completely blocking ship movements through the channel. Iran has also launched attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf, which have extended to non-military targets.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman linking the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea – about one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes through the route.

The channel is crucial for India as roughly 40-50% of its crude oil imports come through the strait. It also carries around half of the country’s liquefied natural gas imports and most of its liquefied petroleum gas shipments.

India has been dealing with a squeeze in cooking-gas supplies over the past few days, leading to panic-buying by domestic users and also forcing some restaurants to shut down temporarily.

A few ships have managed to pass through the strait in recent days, often after diplomatic engagement with Tehran. Reports say vessels linked to China have been allowed to pass. Turkey has said one of its vessels crossed the strait following discussions with Iranian authorities.

European governments including France and Italy are also exploring diplomatic options.

Jaishankar told the Financial Times that India’s discussions with Tehran were continuing. “This is ongoing. If it is yielding results for me, I would naturally continue to look at it,” he said.

Analysts say India is navigating a delicate diplomatic position as the crisis unfolds. Delhi maintains close ties with Israel and has growing strategic cooperation with the US, but also has longstanding political and economic links with Iran.

India has called for dialogue and for the safety of commercial shipping in the region – reflecting both its reliance on Gulf energy supplies and its interest in keeping shipping routes open. (BBC)