Hormuz open to friendly nations: Iran’s envoy

The Strait of Hormuz remains open to friendly countries, the Iranian envoy to Sri Lanka said on Monday, stressing that Tehran is ready to supply oil or other essential goods to the island nation if the need arises.

The conflict in West Asia, involving the US, Israel, and Iran, has led to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route through which 20 per cent of the world’s energy is transported. Iran, which controls the Strait of Hormuz, has allowed very few ships to cross it since the conflict started on February 28.

 Addressing a press conference, Iran’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alireza Delkhosh said that the key strait remains open to friendly country vessels to pass. “Sri Lanka is our friendly country and as I told you, Hormuz is not closed to our friends like Sri Lanka,” he said. “If Sri Lanka demands oil or any other necessary goods, Iran will supply,” he added. The conflict, which has roiled global oil markets, entered its fourth week, coinciding with which the Sri Lankan Government hiked fuel prices by 25 per cent on Sunday.

It was the third fuel price hike by the Government since March 1. Speaking about an Iranian vessel which was torpedoed and sunk in international waters off Sri Lanka’s coast by a US submarine earlier this month, the envoy said it was “not here for war”.

“Dena was not ready for war. It was not here for war. It was not here for conflict. It was participating in a peaceful exercise in India,” he said, calling the targeting a violation of humanitarian law.

The Iranian warship IRIS Dena was returning after participating in the Milan naval exercise, a multilateral wargame hosted by India, when it was struck. At least 87 Iranian sailors were killed in the attack.

 Delkhosh said that the Sri Lankan Government had invited the three Iranian vessels involved in the Milan exercise to visit the island nation. “This vessel, with two other vessels, was invited by the Sri Lankan side to come here. And they came here upon their invitation,” he said.

Delkhosh expressed gratitude to Sri Lanka for accommodating over 200 sailors from another vessel, IRIS Bushehr, whom the ambassador said were mainly cadets. It was allowed to dock by Sri Lanka at its eastern port of Trincomalee, after seeking permission to enter Sri Lankan waters, citing an engine failure.

The attack on the Iranian warship marked a major escalation of the conflict between the US and Iran outside of the Persian Gulf and raised questions relating to maritime security in the Indian Ocean.