India on Tuesday denied reports that claimed that Iran has asked for the exchange of three tankers seized by it in exchange for permitting the safe passage of Indian-flagged or India-bound ships from the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway closed off since the US-Israeli strikes triggered the West Asia conflict.
Reuters, citing three sources with knowledge of the matter, reported on Monday that India had earlier seized those tankers alleging they had concealed or altered their identities and were involved in illegal ship-to-ship transfers at sea.
The report mentioned that Indian authorities seized the tankers Asphalt Star, Al Jafzia and Stellar Ruby.
Calling the reports baseless, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday said there has been “no discussion of this nature”. “The three vessels are anyway not Iranian owned, neither are there any Iranian vessels,” he said in a inter-ministerial press briefing.
Later in the press conference, Jaiswal added, “Many of our ships are still stuck in Strait of Hormuz. We plan to have talks with Iran and other countries so that those vessels can be brought back home safely.”
The report cited a police complaint filed by the Indian Coast Guard on February 15 and mentioned that Asphalt Star was involved in the smuggling of heavy fuel oil that was transferred to Al Jafzia and bitumen to Stellar Ruby. All three are currently docked off Mumbai, it said.
