Safe passage to Indian vessels through Strait of Hormuz demonstrates Tehran’s friendship: Iranian diplomat

Mumbai: The Consul General of Iran in Mumbai, Saeid Reza Mosayeb Motlagh, said on Friday that Tehran’s decision to provide safe passage to Indian vessels through the Strait of Hormuz demonstrates its longstanding friendship with New Delhi.

In an interview with IANS, Motlagh said that Iran has been India’s “friend and partner” for a long time and that the authorities in Tehran were concerned to see Indians facing shortage of gas due to the ongoing conflict.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has, from the very beginning, shown that it is a friend and partner of India. Personally, as the Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Mumbai, when I saw people facing a shortage of gas, I felt deeply concerned. Naturally, the authorities in Iran are also concerned about this situation and have wished to help. As you know, the situation is effectively a war zone, and gas carriers face their own risks; even the smallest impact can lead to serious consequences. However, by the grace of God, Iran was able to provide safe passage so that these vessels could cross securely. This demonstrates our friendship with India,” said Motlagh.

Earlier this week, Indian‑flagged Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanker ‘Nanda Devi’ arrived at Vadinar Port in Gujarat, becoming the second LPG carrier to reach the west coast this week after ‘Shivalik’ docked at Mundra Port, officials confirmed. Both vessels were transporting critical LPG supplies to India following an unusually hazardous passage through the Strait of Hormuz, where maritime traffic has been disrupted by the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel.

Motlagh also accused Israel of targetting Iran’s oil facilities and starting the war by killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top military officials on February 28. In response, Iran launched drone and missile attacks targetting the US and Israeli facilities, regional capitals and allied forces in West Asia.

“I honour the memory and name of the great leader of the Islamic Revolution, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, as well as the strong will of the Iranian nation, who have stood alone against all hardships and, by the grace and power of God, are overcoming these challenges one by one. Regarding the destruction that occurred, the Israelis attacked our oil facilities first. Given our peaceful and peace-seeking nature, we had informed them beforehand, and we uphold this approach even in war. We have never been the ones to strike first; they started the war, targetting the leader of the Revolution and the Islamic Republic, and we responded forcefully in the first stage.”

He termed the death of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani a “great loss” and hailed him as Iran’s “prominent” statesmen. Iran, he said, is functioning and engaging in war effectively even after Larjiani’s death as the country has a system that governs and not individuals.

“For Iran, any harm to any Iranian citizen is a loss and a source of deep sorrow — even if it is as minor as a nosebleed or an injury, let alone when Iranian nationals are martyred due to acts of aggression and war instigated by the United States and the Zionist regime… Whether such events weaken our determination, I must say clearly: no, they do not. When our leader was martyred, everyone saw that a system governs the country — one that quickly replaced him with a capable successor, and no disruption occurred.”

He further stated, “Although his loss remains in our hearts, we are grateful for his noble spirit and the services he rendered to Iran over the years, the effects of which are still evident today. Regarding Martyr Larijani, his passing is indeed a great loss. He was one of our country’s prominent statesmen and was responsible for national security. However, this loss does not disrupt the system. As you can see, even just two days after his martyrdom, the country continues to function and the war is being managed effectively. This is because in our country, it is the system that governs, not individuals…”

Motlagh said that the US tries to project Hollywood style narratives to the world, suggesting that their forces cannot be damaged and they have superior technology. Iran, he said, also uses advanced technologies on the battlefield and their results have become evident to people around the world.

“The Americans try to project Hollywood-style narratives to the world, suggesting that their forces are invulnerable and cannot be damaged, and that they possess superior technology. However, this is not the reality. The Islamic Republic of Iran also uses advanced technologies on the battlefield, and their results have become evident to people around the world. They, too, do not possess unmatched superiority. We have destroyed several of their vessels, including aircraft carriers and fuel ships, to the extent that they were forced to leave the battlefield. One of our latest achievements, by the grace of God, was the reported downing of an F-35 Lightning II, which is said to be a $100 million aircraft…”

IANS