NEW DELHI, May 4. /TASS/. Eleven Indian ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of the Iranian crisis, Indian foreign ministry spokesman, Randhir Jaiswal said.
"As of today, eleven of our vessels have safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz. We continue maintaining contacts with the Iranian side to ensure safe passage of the remaining ships [from the Persian Gulf] and their return to India," he told a briefing.
India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said in early April that at least 22 Indian-flagged ships were staying near the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Indian government, twenty of them are critically important for the country’s energy security.
The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were also hit. Tehran decided to close the Strait of Hormuz to ships associated with the United States, Israel and countries that backed the aggression against Iran.