Hormuz blockade – Artifex.News

Trump rejects Iran proposal for deal to reopen Hormuz

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 19:57:00 +0000

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday (September 26, 2026) rejected a truce deal proposed by Iran that Tehran said could have reopened the Strait of Hormuz to shipping within a week.

The waterway is key to the world’s energy supply and is now central to the conflict between the US and Iran, which is at a stalemate after nearly seven months.

“I reject their proposal,” Mr. Trump told reporters outside the White House. “They made a proposal but I’ve rejected it.”

“They want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly. They want to make a deal and I think that’s fine. I like making a deal too.”

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was on his way back to Tehran after attending the UN General Assembly in New York, told CBS News the proposal had been developed “in coordination” with supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to an excerpt from the video interview shared by Iranian media.

Iran’s plan calls for a cessation of all hostilities in West Asia, including in Lebanon, according to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who met earlier in the week with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff.

He said the conditions were the same as those laid out in a memorandum of understanding signed with the U.S. earlier this year, which called for the release of frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil and an end to the U.S. naval blockade.

On the seventh day of the truce, Iran would reopen Hormuz, Mr. Pezeshkian told CBS that the “process will begin from the very day they accept it”.

At the UN, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan complained that the “international community has been absent” and failing to live up to the responsibility to keep the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab open.

“The kingdom rejects any party’s use of these vital passages as a tool for pressure, threat, or harm to the interests of states,” he said, stressing the waterways’ importance to global energy security.

His Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, told member states that “Russia, together with other responsible states, stands ready to constructively contribute to stabilizing this strategically important region.”

In New York, Mr. Pezeshkian met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to his office, and said: “Iran has not walked away from the negotiating table but, given past experiences, it no longer trusts the United States.”

Mr. Araghchi said at the UN: “Iran has conveyed to the United States, through Qatar, a concrete seven-day plan. If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, and normal maritime passage restored within seven days.”

“The choice now rests with the United States. Iran does not accept coercion, threats or intimidation, and Iran will not surrender its sovereign rights under pressure,” he added.

However, within hours of his comments, The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Trump was sceptical that Tehran would meet his demands and expects to renew the U.S. bombing campaign.

Mr. Trump also posted an image to his Truth Social platform of a map showing the Strait of Hormuz circled and labelled “Trump Strait”.

Hossein Mohebi, a spokesman for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying: “We will not cease punishing the U.S. until Iran’s seven conditions are met.”

Hostilities in Yemen

Mr. Mohebi had told AFP in an exclusive interview on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) that ending hostilities in Yemen was also among Tehran’s demands.

Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding in June that aimed to end the war, to reopen the strait and to launch talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.

But the deal broke down shortly afterwards when Iran fired on commercial ships in Hormuz that it accused of deviating from its approved route through the waterway.

Iran requires ships to obtain authorisation before passage, citing security and sovereignty reasons.

Ships that refuse to comply are regularly targeted, while the United States sporadically bombs Iranian coastal areas in retaliation.

Published – September 27, 2026 01:26 am IST

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Indian Oil has crude supplies secured for entire August, most of September

admin — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:19:00 +0000

Indian Oil Corp has crude oil supplies secured for the entirety of August and most of September, Arvinder Singh Sahney, Chairman of the state-owned oil-marketing company told reporters on Friday (July 31, 2026). File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

“We are comfortably placed with crude oil supplies till August and most of September, which is about 45 to 50 days,” he stated.

State-owned oil-marketing companies, that is, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum, as they sought to shield prices of retail petroleum products notwithstanding the conflict in Asia which marred shipping across the energy route, that is, the Strait of Hormuz.

The Delhi-headquartered refiner posted a net loss of ₹2,661 crore in the June-end quarter.

Peers Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum also incurred net loss of about ₹12,265 crore and ₹3,962 crore during the same period.

Indian Oil’s overall revenues rose 26% on a year-over-year basis to about ₹2.76 lakh crore.

Mr. Sahney attributed the narrower-than-anticipated net loss to the refinery’s operational efficiencies.

“We were able to navigate through the period because of the physical performance of our assets and their capabilities,” he stated.

For perspective, the company’s refinery throughput stood at 19.165 million metric tonnes (MMT) harbouring capacity utilisation of 109.4% during the quarter.

This was an improvement of 3% from the comparable period last year.

Indian Oil also posted their lowest-ever quarterly fuel and loss of 8.04% in the post Bharat Stage-VI scenario.

Pursuing diversification

Mr. Sahney told reporters that amidst the disruption to supplies of crude oil from the Strait of Hormuz, the refiner also took to spot purchases from West Africa, South America and Venezuela.

On liquified petroleum gas (LPG), Mr. Sahney stated that Indian Oil would pursue diversification “as much as possible”.

Seeking to shield consumers from the impact of global price surge, Indian Oil incurred under-recoveries of ₹720 per cylinder in June and ₹503 per cylinder in July.

Separately, officials also informed that Indian Oil has tapped into the Reserve Bank of India’s credit facility swap window to raise $500 million.

The facility seeks to offer concessional swaps for fresh FNCR (B) deposits, external commercial borrowings (ECBs) and overseas foreign currency borrowings (OCBs).

Published – July 31, 2026 09:49 pm IST

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Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Strait of Hormuz or face a ’forceful response’

admin — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 17:06:00 +0000

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Iran’s joint military command warned on Thursday (July 2, 2026) that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a “forceful response,” ratcheting up tensions again over a waterway crucial for international energy supplies.

The strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, has emerged as one of the top issues in negotiations seeking a permanent end to the Iran war. The statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command, reported by Iranian state television, comes after both U.S. and Iranian diplomats met with mediators Wednesday in Qatar.

It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the threat from Iran. However, the U.S. military’s Central Command had put out a statement about a meeting with officials from West Asian nations in Bahrain that said “leaders underscored their shared commitment to the free flow of commerce through” the strait.

That appears to have been the phrase that angered Iran, which is preparing for the funeral that begins this weekend for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the war’s first moments in February.

“Any failure to comply, deviation from the designated route, or disregard for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response from the armed forces, endangering the security of the violating vessels,” the Iranian statement said.

It also said the continued presence of U.S. fighter jets over the strait “causes insecurity in this waterway and threatens regional security.”

“Any attempt by the United States to interfere in security matters or any disruptive action in the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a threat to Iran’s national sovereignty and will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction,” the Iranian warning added.

Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage, upending decades of practice in the waterway.

In a report apparently aimed at bolstering Tehran’s claims to control the strait, Iranian state television said this week that a foreign ship got stuck in the waterway after ignoring instructions from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. However, the vessel’s shape, reported location and other details indicate the ship is tied to Iran and appears to have been stranded for months.

The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they won’t agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait. An effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman’s shore sparked attacks across the Mideast last weekend, highlighting the tensions.

Despite the tensions, Wednesday’s talks saw “positive progress,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said. He told journalists that Pakistan hoped the next round of talks would be scheduled as soon as possible after Khamenei’s funeral.

Published – July 02, 2026 10:36 pm IST

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India’s LPG imports from U.S. set to cross 1 million tons in June, sources say

admin — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 06:45:00 +0000

India’s imports ‌of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the U.S. are set to top 1 million metric tons in June, a record high, industry sources said, as New ⁠Delhi turned to costlier suppliers to offset disruption from West Asia. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Before the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, India depended on West Asian producers for 90% ‌of its LPG imports, which totalled about 2 million tons per month.

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Imports of LPG, widely used as cooking fuel in Indian households, declined to as ‌low as 696,000 tons in April because of the Strait of Hormuz blockade, government data ‌showed. ⁠The imports, however, recovered to 1.15 million tons in May, the data ⁠showed.

Before the disruption, New Delhi had planned to raise U.S. LPG purchases to about 10% of total imports as part of its effort to rebalance trade with Washington.

The closure of the waterway accelerated spot buying from the U.S., with Indian refiners purchasing unprecedented ‌volumes at hefty spot market premiums as the government’s priority was to maintain uninterrupted cooking gas supplies, said a trade source who is aware of the purchases.

The sources declined to be named publicly as they are not authorised to speak to the media.

India ‌also asked refiners to maximise LPG output, prioritised LPG sales to households and accelerated the rollout of piped gas connections. The efforts have already started to reduce India’s LPG consumption by 15% to 20%, one of the ⁠sources said.

India is on track to receive about 1.1 million to 1.2 million tons of U.S. LPG in June, while supplies from the United Arab Emirates have started to recover ‌to around 300,000 to 400,000 tons this month, two sources at Indian refiners said.

The UAE offered LPG cargoes loaded from Oman’s Sohar port on a free-on-board basis at a premium of about $100 per ton to Saudi CP prices, the sources said, adding that Abu Dhabi National Oil Co deployed four to five vessels that get LPG up to Sohar port.

Indian refiners will also be getting about 45,000 tons of LPG from Kuwait in June, ‌the sources said.

The partial opening of the strait will improve LPG supplies from West Asia in the coming months, which will help to reduce prices, the sources added.

India imported 648,300 tons of LPG from the U.S. and 134,700 tons from ⁠the UAE in May, according to Kpler data.

Imports from Iran, mainly by small players with ⁠negligible links to the U.S., stood at 145,000 tons, while shipments from other traditional suppliers, including Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, remained limited, Kpler’s data show.

Kpler’s preliminary ‌June data indicate India is scheduled to import about 1.07 million tons of LPG from the U.S., around 223,800 from the UAE, 116,200 tons from Iran and 108,600 tons from Kuwait, with some volumes expected from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Qatar and Nigeria.

Published – June 23, 2026 12:15 pm IST

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U.S. says Hormuz to be toll-free under Iran deal

admin — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 04:12:00 +0000

The United States said on Monday (June 15, 2026) that ships will move toll-free through the Strait of Hormuz under an Iran peace deal signed by President Donald Trump, and insisted Tehran would have to fulfill its commitments before getting any economic benefits.

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They included a possible $300 billion reconstruction fund for the war-battered country, but the release of funds will be “tied to performance,” a senior Trump administration official said in a call with reporters.

Mr. Trump, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf electronically signed the so-called memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Sunday (June 14, 2026), the officials said.

“The President wanted to sign it personally because he wanted to show his dedication to the process,” one of the U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity.

But Mr. Vance admitted the brief outline deal kicks the thorniest issues — especially Iran’s nuclear program — down the road.

“The MoU is about a page and a half, so it is a very general document,” Mr. Vance told CNN.

He later said on NBC that U.S. and international nuclear inspectors will be allowed back into Iran to help destroy its enriched uranium.

Mr. Vance will lead technical talks this week and attend a physical signing ceremony expected in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mr. Trump, attending the G7 summit in France, said the text would likely be released after Friday (June 15, 2026) — but the U.S. officials said it would be “put out in the next 24-48 hours.”

Hormuz normal in ‘couple of weeks’?

The signing will kick off a 60-day period in which Tehran and Washington will try to hammer out a full-scale peace deal.

“We want to put the nuclear discussions up front,” a U.S. official said on the call.

But the Strait of Hormuz bottleneck is an immediate priority due to the global economic effects from the spike in oil prices.

Mr. Vance told CNBC there was an understanding with Iran that the strait would reopen “in a toll-free way for the long term, and that’s the sort of thing that we’re going to figure out in these technical negotiations.”

Mr. Trump himself said the critical strait would be “completely open” from Friday (June 19, 2026) but added there was still “hunting” going on to ensure it was de-mined.

Shipping traffic should return to pre-war levels “over the next couple of weeks” but there had already been a “substantial increase in traffic,” the first U.S. official said.

However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday (June 15, 2026) that the deal would allow it to charge maritime service fees on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, rather than imposing “tolls.”

‘Zero’ funds released

Uncertainty also surrounds other key aspects of the deal, including Iran’s access to its frozen funds and relief from sanctions.

The issue is politically sensitive for Mr. Trump because he has alleged that a deal signed under Democrat Barack Obama — which Mr. Trump scrapped in 2018 — gave Tehran too much money.

“The very simple fact is zero dollars of frozen assets have been released by the United States or any other country,” the first U.S. official said.

“We discussed the possibility of releasing frozen funds, sanctions relief, a big $300 billion fund to rebuild their country, and all of these things are going to be tied to performance,” added the second official.

Mr. Vance said no U.S. taxpayer money — “they never get a dime” — will go to Iran under the deal and argued that Americans stand to benefit from lifting of sanctions against Iran by bringing it back into the international economy.

“There’s a lot of benefit there, not American money, but there’s a lot of economic prosperity that can flow from that,” Mr. Vance told Fox News late Monday (June 15, 2026).

As part of a flurry of interviews to talk up the deal, he told NBC that U.S. and UN nuclear inspectors will be allowed to enter Iran.

“In fact, one of the core parts of the agreement is that the [International Atomic Energy Agency] and the United States are going to help Iran destroy the highly enriched stockpile, and that’s something that’s spelled out very clearly” in the MoU, Mr. Vance said.

Published – June 16, 2026 09:34 am IST

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Iran suspends talks with U.S. over Israel’s Lebanon strikes

admin — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:37:00 +0000

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Iran has suspended exchanging texts with the U.S. over a preliminary agreement aimed at ending the war, in response to Israel’s escalating military strikes in Lebanon, the Tasnim news agency reported on Monday (June 1, 2026).

“Due to the continuation of the Zionist regime’s [Israel] crimes in Lebanon and considering that Lebanon was one of the preconditions for the ceasefire and now this ceasefire has been violated on all fronts including Lebanon, the Iranian negotiating team will stop “talks and exchange of texts through mediation”, the report stated.

Also read | West Asia war LIVE

Earlier in the day, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had warned of consequences for Israel’s Lebanon strikes.

“The ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation,” Mr. Araghchi wrote in a social media post.

Mr. Ghalibaf, who is also the country’s negotiator with the U.S., said the American blockade of Iran’s ports and the Lebanon strikes were ceasefire violations. The naval blockade and escalation of war crimes in Lebanon by the genocidal Zionist regime are clear evidence of U.S. noncompliance with the ceasefire,” he wrote in a post. “Every choice has a price, and the bill comes due. It will all fall into place.”

Published – June 01, 2026 07:58 pm IST

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Missiles fired at U.S. frigate in Strait of Hormuz, claims Iranian media

admin — Mon, 04 May 2026 11:39:00 +0000

Representative image. Photo credit: X/@CENTCOM

Iranian media said on Monday (May 4, 2026) that a U.S. navy frigate was targeted by two missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump said U.S. forces would begin guiding ships through the waterway.

“The frigate, which was sailing on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz, in violation of navigation and maritime safety rules near (the port of) Jask, was targeted by a missile attack after ignoring a warning from the Iranian navy,” the Fars news agency said, without citing a source.

Published – May 04, 2026 05:05 pm IST

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We have allowed some ships: Iranian envoy Fathali on passage of vessels via Strait of Hormuz

admin — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 02:59:00 +0000

Amid the escalating conflict in West Asia, Iranian ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, on Saturday (March 14, 2026) said Iran has “allowed some ships” to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic trade route.

He, however, did not specify the number of vessels that have been allowed to pass through.

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During an interactive session, Mr. Fathali was asked if Iran has “allowed passage to Indian ships” stranded in the Strait of Hormuz and for how many days, given the looming LPG shortage, and the series of telephonic conversations between the foreign ministers of the two countries.

“Yes, we have allowed, but let me not tell how many,” he said.

During the session, Mr. Fathali made the remarks largely in Persian, which was interpreted in English by Javad Hosseini, the deputy chief of mission at the Iranian embassy in India.

As several India-flagged vessels remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Mr. Fathali on Friday (March 13) had told reporters that “we will try our best” to resolve the issue.

Earlier in the day, a senior official in the Shipping Ministry said two Indian ships — Shivalik and Nanda Devi — carrying LPG from the Gulf countries crossed the Strait of Hormuz early on Saturday (March 14) morning, raising the number of Indian vessels safely passing through the war-hit, narrow shipping lane to three.

The remaining 22 ships on the west side of the strait are on standby as the Indian Government engages with governments in the region to ensure their safe passage.

India imports 60% of its LPG needs, with 85-90% of this being sourced from Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which use the Strait of Hormuz as a transit for shipping oil and gas. The strait has been effectively closed since the first week of March.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic narrow sea lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

During the interactive session, Mr. Fathali also emphasised that Iran and India have historical relations, and added, “I believe Iran and India also have common interests.”

“I also believe if there is any rift or gap between these two countries, their enemies will use it… Both sides have the maturity that they can handle these political and social issues together and solve everything,” he said.

He was also asked about the phone call on Thursday (March 12) night between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, during which they discussed the “serious situation” in West Asia.

“We are now supporting each other,” Mr. Fathali said, and asserted that Indians also feel the pain Iranians are suffering. “We have to enhance the relationship between India and Iran.”

The Iranian envoy, when asked if the country anticipated such an attack, said, “Iran is ready for negotiations and the war. But we prefer negotiations… We had entered into negotiations. But, despite well intentions…” Mr. Fathali said Iran is “ready for this war”, and reiterated that “you can start, but you cannot finish”.

The West Asia conflict began after the U.S. and Israel launched a major military attack on Iran on February 28, killing 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran, in retaliation, attacked several Gulf nations hosting American military bases, impacting global aviation operations, oil prices and triggering a looming energy crisis.

On the killing of Khamenei, the envoy said, “We have lost our great figure, our great leader, and I want to say that… great father.” “His Eminence stood on the right side of history… Iranian people and all free nations are deeply saddened over this martyrdom,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Embassy in India, in a post on X, on Saturday (March 14) said, “Following repeated requests from charitable and benevolent members among our Indian brothers and sisters to provide humanitarian assistance to Iranian compatriots affected by the ongoing war, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi hereby announces the following bank account number for the deposit of intended cash donations.”

“Bank Account Name: Embassy of Iran Bank Account Number: 11084232535 IFS Code: SBIN0000691 If you wish, you may also send the screenshot or payment receipt via WhatsApp to: +91 98998 12318,” it said.

Published – March 15, 2026 08:29 am IST

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India well-placed to deal with any situation on crude oil, fuel amid West Asia supply shock: Piyush Goyal

admin — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 02:03:00 +0000

Union Minister of Commerce and Industries Piyush Goyal.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday (March 14, 2026) said India is well-placed to deal with any situation on crude oil and fuel, as the West Asia crisis disrupts gas shipments and shipping routes, and highlighted that the government has ramped up kerosene production to provide an alternate option for the common man.

Speaking at the CNBC-TV India Business Leaders Awards 2026 ceremony, Mr. Goyal said the government plans to come up with some “concrete agenda” next week to support exporters.

“On crude oil, on fuel, we are pretty well placed. We have good stocks in hand. There’s been absolutely no disturbance of any sort on the crude or the fuel front, petrol, diesel, aviation fuel,” Mr. Goyal said.

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He said that India has ramped up kerosene production so that, in the event of any delays in LPG supplies, there will be an alternate cooking medium for the common man. “Incidentally, we are also covering through imports from diversified sources the requirements of LPG and LNG,” he said.

“The shipping times were barely three or four days, at best seven days, when these shipments of gas came into India, he said, adding that “Now we have to diversify to sources which are significantly far away from India… Canada, the U.S., and possibly Russia, we are looking at various alternate sources which will feed the requirements of India,” he said.

Terming the ongoing geopolitical situation a wake-up call for the country, he said that whenever India faced a challenge, it has always been able to convert that into an opportunity.

“My own sense is that there will be a certain shortfall in economic activity in the short run, but we’ll make up for that in the months to come. [But] We will continue to be the fastest-growing large economy in the world for at least two more decades,” Mr. Goyal said.

Acknowledging that while the country is facing “stress” on the rupee, he said there is no reason for anyone to panic as rupee is expected to bounce back in a more gradual fashion, possibly once the war is over.

“We’ve certainly seen that investments in any period of time, when there is a conflict or a war, usually look for safe haven. We’ve seen a lot of money flow into gold, for instance, and the import of gold and silver has shot up.”

Stating that his Ministry is in dialogue with all the stakeholders, he said, “We’ve been engaging with all the export promotion councils on a daily basis. We have a 24-hour helpline ready to resolve any issues,” he said.

The Commerce Ministry has also worked out certain schemes which will help create an insurance cover should any export cargo be damaged or lost or even inordinately delayed because of the Red Sea problem, the Strait of Hormuz problem or the shipping line difficulties, he said.

“We are doing the inter-ministerial consultation. Next week we’ll be coming out with some more concrete action agenda to support the exporters,” the Minister said.

Published – March 15, 2026 07:29 am IST

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