At UN, India Flags Attacks on Shipping, Seeks Restoration of Hormuz Transit
New Delhi: India on Thursday (April 16) called for the immediate restoration of free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, saying attacks on commercial shipping during the ongoing conflict were unacceptable and that Indian seafarers had died in the course of the war.
India’s permanent representative to the United Nations, P. Harish, made the remarks during a General Assembly debate convened nine days after China and Russia vetoed a Bahrain-led Security Council draft resolution on the Strait.
The draft resolution had called on Iran to immediately halt attacks on shipping and any attempts to impede transit through the waterway. It also sought coordinated defensive measures by states to ensure safe passage, which could include escorting merchant vessels.
The conflict began on February 28, when the United States and Israel carried out coordinated strikes on Iran. Tehran subsequently shut the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of global oil and gas supplies had moved, pushing up fuel prices worldwide.
Harish said India had, from the outset, urged restraint and warned against escalation. “Since the outbreak of the conflict in Iran and the Gulf region on 28 February 2026, India had expressed deep concern and urged all states to exercise restraint, avoid escalation and prioritise safety of civilians,” he said, adding that New Delhi had also called for respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity
On the Strait, he said the issue had a direct bearing on India’s energy and economic interests. India had “deplored” the targeting of commercial vessels, he noted, adding that Indian seafarers had lost their lives during the conflict.
“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,” he said, stressing that international law must be fully respected.
India “strongly urges that safe and unimpeded freedom of navigation and global commerce through the Strait of Hormuz be restored at the earliest,” he added.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, speaking at a UK-hosted conference of over 60 nations in early April, had also stressed the importance of “freedom of navigation and unimpeded transit through international waterways”. Iran has claimed that the strait of Hormuz is territorial waters under international law, which allows it to regular traffic.
India has been among the few countries to directly engage with Iran to secure passage for its vessels since the Strait was closed following the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran on February 28. At least eight Indian-flagged ships crossed the Strait through coordination with Iranian authorities and support from the Indian Navy.
Sixteen Indian vessels remained stuck in the Persian Gulf as of the announcement of a conditional two-week ceasefire on April 7.
India had welcomed a conditional two-week ceasefire announced on the evening of April 7, reiterating New Delhi's expectation that "unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce" would prevail through the Strait of Hormuz.
The situation has since become more complex following a US naval blockade targeting foreign-flagged vessels linked to Iranian ports. The move, ordered by Donald Trump on April 13, has added a further layer of disruption to already strained shipping routes.
The General Assembly debate was held under a 2022 procedure that requires a plenary meeting within ten working days of a Security Council veto. While the 193-member Assembly cannot overturn a veto, it can examine and respond politically to its use.
Russian deputy permanent representative Anna M. Evstigneeva said her country had used the veto because the draft ignored the broader context of the conflict and would have given the Council "a green light" to use protective measures "under the pretext" of ensuring navigation safety. "Every paragraph of the draft resolution was replete with confrontation and factually incorrect elements," she argued.
China's envoy Fu Cong, said the veto "upheld international fairness and justice, defended the UN Charter, prevented further escalation and created favourable conditions for dialogue." Russia and China have drafted a new draft.
Speaking on behalf of Gulf states, Kuwait also announced that it will submit a new draft resolution based on "a comprehensive consultative approach that takes into account all concerns, thereby enhancing the prospects of achieving broad international consensus."
This article went live on April seventeenth, two thousand twenty six, at one minutes past one in the afternoon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
