S Jaishankar (PTI file photo)

New Delhi: India described its direct talks with Iran as the “most effective way” to restart shipping through the blocked Strait of Hormuz, which has hit global supplies, even as Tehran allowed Indian-flagged ships to pass through the route.In an interview with the Financial Times, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar “My conversations have yielded some results,” he said, praising direct talks with Iran’s leadership, citing renewed access to the vital Strait of Hormuz after Donald Trump called for warships from about seven countries to be deployed to patrol the waterway vital to global energy markets.

Follow for live updates on Iran warTrump urged China, France, the United Kingdom and other countries to protect Iran-controlled waterways as “their territory.” Their demands come as governments hit by rising energy prices after Tehran closed the route are considering their options – including talks with Iran or potential military involvement that could risk dragging them into the escalating Middle East conflict.

Jaishankar told the Financial Times that the talks between New Delhi and Tehran, which on Saturday allowed two Indian-flagged gas tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, showed what diplomacy can achieve.“At the moment I am engaged in talking to them and my talks have yielded some results,” he said in an FT interview. “It is ongoing. If it is yielding results for me, then I will naturally continue to focus on it.”Jaishankar also outlined India’s approach to dealing with the crisis and indirectly suggested a similar path for other countries. “Certainly, from India’s point of view, it is better that we reason and coordinate and find a solution, rather than us,” he said. “So if this way allows other people to get involved, I think the world is better for it.”Oil prices closed above $100 last week for the first time since August 2022, with some industry analysts expecting further gains as the conflict extends into the spring. Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said last week that the country’s military would continue to block the narrow waterway through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas previously moved.France and Italy are among the European countries that have started talks with Tehran on a possible diplomatic solution that could allow energy shipments to resume.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CBS on Sunday that Iran is “open” to countries that want to discuss “the safe passage of their ships.”Jaishankar said this before attending a meeting of European Union The foreign minister is in Brussels on Monday, where he is expected to discuss whether to expand the mandate of the EU Espides naval mission in the Red Sea to include the Strait of Hormuz. The mission currently involves three warships from France, Italy and Greece.When asked if European countries could replicate India’s arrangement, he said, “Obviously, each relationship kind of stands on its own merits.” “So now, it’s very hard for me to compare it to any other relationship that may or may not have this.”“I would be happy to share [EU capitals] what we are doing . . . I know many of them have talked [with Tehran] Also,” he added.Jaishankar said there was no “blanket arrangement” with Iran for Indian-flagged ships and “the movement of each ship is an individual incident”.The veteran diplomat also denied that Iran had received anything in return, citing “the history of our dealings with each other… that’s the basis on which I engaged.”“This is not an issue of exchange,” he said. “There is a relationship between India and Iran. And it is a conflict that we consider very unfortunate.”“It is still early days. We have many more ships there. While this is a welcome development, negotiations are ongoing as work continues,” he said.