India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has addressed escalating maritime tensions near the Strait of Hormuz after reports of Iran seizing vessels and disrupting India-bound shipping.
Updated: April 23, 2026 7:46 PM IST
Iran-US war: In a significant geopolitical development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has made a big statement, days after some India-flagged ships were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz. In the recent big statement, the MEA has said that 14 Indian ships have exited Strait of Hormuz safely in the past few weeks while 14 still remain in the Persian Gulf. For those unversed, tensions continue in and around Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which about one-fifth of global oil trade passes, ever since the conflict erupted in West Asia. Here are all the details you need to know regarding what MEA has said on Indian ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
What MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on ships crossing Strait of Hormuz?
“We have 10 Indian ships which have exited Strait of Hormuz safely in the last few weeks. We have 14 Indian ships which are still in the Persian Gulf,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal while addressing a weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Thursday.
Also read: ‘Not intentional’: Iran reacts after shots fired at Indian-flagged ships in Strait of Hormuz
Why Iran attacked ship in route to India?
Iran, on Wednesday, attacked a ship in the Strait of Hormuz that was on its way to Mundra Port in India. The attack came hours after US President Donald Trump had announced an indefinite ceasefire.
Which are the ships captured by Iran?
On Wednesday, Iran’s IRGC-N identified the ships it attacked as the MSC-Francesca and the Epaminodas. Two shipping monitoring sites said that Liberian-flagged Epaminodas was on its way to Mundra in Gujarat from the Jebel Ali port in Dubai.
India lodged a strong protest with Iran over those incidents and Iran’s Ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, was called in for a meeting with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri over the shooting incident involving Indian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
During the meeting, India conveyed its deep concerns over the incident involving two Indian-flagged ships that came under fire from gunboats of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi was called in by the Ministry of External Affairs for a meeting with Foreign Secretary this evening.
