New Delhi: India on Thursday (April 2) joined over 40 countries at a United Kingdom-convened meeting on the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, where government discussed potential joint action that could include diplomatic and punitive pressure on Iran to restore shipping through one of the world’s most critical energy routes.The Ministry of External Affairs stated that India’s foreign secretary represented the country at the ministerial-level meeting convened by UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.In his remarks, the foreign secretary stressed the importance of “freedom of navigation and unimpeded transit through international waterways”, while underlining that the crisis had direct implications for India’s energy security. He also pointed to the risks faced by Indian seafarers, noting that India remains the only country to have lost mariners in recent attacks on merchant shipping in the Gulf.He added that the way out of the crisis lay in “de-escalation and a return to the path of diplomacy and dialogue among all concerned parties”, according to the ministry’s readout.The UK said the meeting focused on restoring shipping through the Strait after traffic dropped sharply due to actions by Iran.Setting out the purpose of the meeting, Cooper underlined the scale of disruption in remarks released by the UK foreign office. “In the last 24 hours, the assessment [is that] five vessels passed through the Strait, which is an international shipping route that would normally see 150 vessels a day.”Pointing directly at Tehran, she said, “We have seen Iran hijack an international shipping route to hold the global economy hostage.”Warning that the disruption was “hitting households and businesses in every corner of the world”, she said it “could push 9 million people worldwide into food insecurity”, citing World Bank estimates.There was no joint statement after the meeting, but the UK government released a chair’s statement. It said participants called for the “immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait” and respect for international law.The statement did not set out specific outcomes, but said discussions covered increasing diplomatic pressure, “including through the United Nations … to permit unimpeded transit passage … and to comprehensively reject the imposition of tolls on vessels”.Participants also explored “co-ordinated economic and political measures, such as sanctions, to bear down on Iran if the Strait remains closed”.The statement added that countries would “work together with the International Maritime Organization to secure the release of thousands of ships and sailors trapped in the Strait and get shipping moving again”.It also referred to coordination with “shipping operators and industry bodies to ensure coherent and timely information sharing”, alongside efforts to stabilise insurance and energy markets.Separately, the UK said military planners would be convened next week to examine options “including looking at issues such as demining or reassurance once the conflict eases”. France also announced that G7 and Gulf Cooperation Council countries will hold a meeting next week on the situationReuters reported, citing a European official, that while the meeting ended without any specific agreement, there was consensus that Iran should not be able to introduce transit fees on ships using the waterway and that all nations should be able to use it freely.According to analysis by Lloyd’s List, Iran has imposed a de facto “toll booth” system in the Strait, under which vessels must submit detailed documentation, obtain clearance codes and accept escorted passage through a controlled corridor. The report said some ships have paid fees, reportedly in yuan, while others rely on diplomatic intervention to secure passage.External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday that “there has been no discussion between India and Iran on the question of payment”.Iran has said the Strait remains open only for “friendly” countries such as China, India, Russia, Iraq and Pakistan.India’s position, as articulated by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, has been to engage directly with Iran to secure safe passage for energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, with the government maintaining that dialogue with Tehran is the most effective way to ensure transit.The approach comes amid India’s heavy dependence on the route, with about 60% of its LPG consumption met through imports, nearly 90% of which typically originate in West Asia and transit the Strait.A day earlier, the Iranian embassy in India said “our Indian friends are in safe hands” in a post on X, amplifying another Iranian diplomatic mission’s assertion that only Iran and Oman would decide the fate of the Strait.New Delhi had until now refrained from criticising the United States and Israel for initiating the conflict with missile and drone strikes on Iran, which triggered Tehran’s retaliatory actions that choked the waterway and widened the conflict to Gulf states. It had, however, criticised attacks by Iran, without naming it, on Gulf states when Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with leaders in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.As the energy crisis has deepened, India has to recalibrate its public posturing, with condemnation of the attack on the girl’s school in Minab.Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday during a visit to South Korea that reopening the Strait through military means would be “unrealistic”, warning that such an approach would expose vessels to “coastal risks … as well as ballistic missiles”.In contrast, the United Arab Emirates has called on the United Nations to authorise “a range of measures, including force”, to reopen the Strait, invoking Chapter 7 of the UN Charter in a letter to the Security Council.