6 min readNew DelhiApr 13, 2026 06:43 PM IST Following the announcement from the US that its forces will start blockading Iranian ports around the Strait of Hormuz from Monday, India again advocated “unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce” through the critical maritime chokepoint, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually transit. Vessel movements through the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea, have effectively been halted due to the West Asia war; India has consistently pressed for free and safe navigation through the Strait. “We are closely following the developments in the West Asia region. As we have continuously advocated earlier, de-escalation dialogue, and diplomacy are essential to bring an early end to the ongoing conflict. We expect that unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce would prevail through the Strait of Hormuz,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the government’s inter-ministerial media briefing on the West Asia crisis. After the failed Islamabad …