India and Iran will hold talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi this week to secure safe passage for Indian ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the Economic Times reported.
The meeting is scheduled for May 14-15 amid dozens of India-bound vessels remain stranded in the Gulf, raising serious concerns over the country's energy supply.
The strait has been largely blocked since February 28, when the United States and Israel launched an air war against Iran. Tehran shut the waterway in retaliation, with Iranian forces issuing warnings, boarding merchant vessels, and laying sea mines.
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Nearly 40% of India's crude oil imports and around 90% of its LPG supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz — making the blockade a direct threat to the country's energy security.
As per reports, around 40-50 India-bound ships are currently stranded west of the strait. New Delhi has already been in touch with Iran.
Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi likely to visit India for the BRICS FMs meet.
— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2026
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India remains in active contact with Iranian authorities. "We continue to be in touch with Iranian authorities so that the remaining ships can also cross the Strait of Hormuz and come to India, which is their destination," he said. At least 11 Indian ships have already crossed following diplomatic coordination.
A ceasefire between Iran and the US has been in place since mid-April, but the US simultaneously blockaded Iranian ports, prompting Tehran to reimpose restrictions on the strait — leaving the situation unresolved.
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The BRICS meeting, adds another layer of significance. Iranian and Emirati representatives are expected to be on the same platform for the first time since the conflict began — a potentially charged encounter given that the UAE bore the brunt of Iranian strikes during the hostilities.
India, as BRICS chair this year, is hoping to use the meeting to push for regional de-escalation ahead of the Leaders' Summit in New Delhi in September.
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