India has condemned the attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital to its energy and economic security, and called for restoring free navigation.
“Commercial shipping must not be the target of military attacks, and such attempts are deplorable”, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative Yojna Patel told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Patel did not mention any country by name but alluded to Iran by recalling that India co-sponsored a Council resolution brought by Bahrain that condemned in the “strongest terms” Tehran’s attacks on its Middle East neighbours.
“It bears mention in this context that India had co-sponsored UNSC resolution 2817, which was adopted on 11th March”, she said.
Iran has attacked Indian ships and a vessel bound for it, and in assaults on ships of other countries, at least three Indian sailors have died.
The US has also set up a blockade in the Hormuz region.
“We underscore that the targeting of commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members or otherwise impeding the freedom of navigation and commerce in the Strait of Hormuz are unacceptable”, Patel said at the meeting convened by Council President Bahrain on the situation in the Middle East.
She noted that unimpeded shipping through the Strait is important because it provides India with vital connectivity to a region with which its trade and energy supply chains are linked through geography, “with implications for economy and energy security”.
“Almost 10 million Indians live and work in the Gulf region; their safety and well-being are a key priority for us”, she added.
Calling for dialogue and diplomacy to de-escalate the tensions in the Gulf region, she said, “The Middle East is our proximate neighbourhood, and we have significant stakes in the security and stability of the region”.
