India on Tuesday denied holding negotiations with Iran about releasing three vessels New Delhi had seized in February in return for the safe passage of Indian ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The denial by the Ministry of External Affairs came during an inter-ministerial press briefing on the conflict in West Asia.
Quoting unidentified officials, Reuters reported on Monday that Iran had asked India to release three fuel tankers that had been seized. India had in February seized the United States-sanctioned ships linked to Iran near Indian waters.
The Indian authorities had reportedly alleged that the vessels were involved in illegal mid-sea ship-to-ship transfer of fuel and had concealed their identity.
The news agency had also reported on Monday that Iran has sought a supply of medical equipment and some medicines.
Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the report as baseless.
“There has been no discussion of this nature,” he told reporters, adding that the three seized ships are not Iranian-owned and that the vessels were not tankers.
The three ships are currently docked off the coast of Mumbai, Reuters reported.
Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz for most international commercial vessels. About 20% of the global petroleum supply passes through the maritime chokepoint.
On Monday and Tuesday, two Indian-flagged vessels carrying liquefied petroleum gas reached India after crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Friday night and Saturday morning.
They were among the 24 Indian-flagged vessels stranded in the Gulf after the conflict broke out in the region on February 28.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Financial Times on Sunday that India’s talks with Iran have “yielded some results” in allowing Indian ships to pass through the strategic waterway. However, he added that there is no “blanket arrangement” with Tehran on the matter.
The movement of each Indian ship through the strait is being handled individually, Jaishankar had said.
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