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As several India-flagged vessels remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Iran's Ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, on Friday said that "we will try our best" to resolve the issue. Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of an event here, Fathali said, "We believe that Iran and India are friends. We have common interests, we have common faith." As the war entered its fourteenth day, with no end in sight, the Iranian envoy said, "Iran doesn't want war, but Iran is ready for war." While US President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that "we're not finished yet", Iran continued to remain defiant and used the choking of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the US-Israel combine. The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic narrow sea lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Hundreds of ships have been stranded in this maritime lane since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, and Tehran targeted the region i
Indian refiners have begun negotiating for additional crude cargoes from the US, Russia and West Africa to ensure supplies remain adequate in the event of the Middle East conflict drags on for a longer period, industry officials and analysts said. Refineries, which convert crude oil into fuels like petrol and diesel, have deferred planned maintenance shutdowns and are maintaining normal processing rates to create buffers that could meet the country's requirement in the near term, they said. India imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil requirement, with roughly half of those supplies in February passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea lane between Iran and Oman that serves as a key energy transit route for global markets. The recent military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, and Tehran's retaliatory attacks on US bases in neighbouring countries as well as Israel, have sharply escalated tensions in the region, leading to a near halt in tanker movements
The Congress on Friday took a swipe at the Modi government after the US announced a temporary waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil, and asked till when will this "American blackmail" continue. In a post in rhyming in Hindi on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Trump ka naya khel, Dilli dost ko kaha, Putin se le sakte ho tel, kab tak chalega ye Ameriki blackmail (Trump's new game; told his friend in Delhi you can get oil from Putin; how long will this American blackmail continue?) Amid the escalating conflict with Iran, the US said it is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver on Russian oil purchases. "President Trump's energy agenda has resulted in oil and gas production reaching the highest levels ever recorded. To enable oil to keep flowing into the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on ...
India holds about 100 million barrels of commercial crude oil stocks - in storage tanks, underground strategic reserves and on ships voyaging towards the country - which could cover roughly 40-45 days of its requirement if flows through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, according to Kpler. India imports about 88 per cent of the crude oil it needs - the raw material for fuels such as petrol and diesel - with more than 50 per cent supplied by Middle Eastern countries and transiting the narrow Strait of Hormuz, flows from which have been disrupted amid the Iran crisis. If Middle Eastern crude supply were to halt completely for a temporary period, the immediate impact would be logistical and price-driven, with supply risks intensifying if movement through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted for longer, said Sumit Ritolia, Lead Research Analyst, Refining & Modeling at Kpler. A closure of Strait of Hormuz would at first impact prompt cargo liftings. "However, refiners typically maintain