India presses for safety of ships and energy security with Iran: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian emphasizing that the safety of Indian nationals, the uninterrupted transit of goods and energy remain India’s priorities, as per a post on X. This was Modi's first conversation with Iran’s leadership and came hours after India’s External Affairs Minister spoke with his counterpart.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi have held multiple conversations in recent days, with their latest exchange focusing on maritime shipping safety and India’s energy security, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

Diverging views? Iran’s foreign ministry maintained that disruptions to shipping in the Gulf were the result of what Tehran described as “aggressive and destabilising actions” by the US.

Why it matters: The back to back outreach comes as New Delhi engages Tehran on ensuring the movement of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, with officials seeking to secure passage for tankers carrying crude oil, LPG and LNG bound for Indian buyers. India says it would be “premature” to comment on reports that India has secured permission for its ships to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

Consular monitoring: New Delhi is also tracking the safety of Indian nationals in Iran. Around 9k Indians — including students, seafarers, businesspeople, professionals and pilgrims — are currently in the country. India has relocated several citizens from Iran to safer locations via land routes crossing into Azerbaijan and Armenia, from where they can take commercial flights home.

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