A phone call between Mohsen Rezaei, who heads Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval took place on Monday. The Iranian Embassy in India announced via X that Rezaei, who holds the position of Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, spoke by telephone with Doval, with the two exchanging views on the latest regional and international developments alongside matters of shared concern to both nations. A readout from the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi noted that the two sides addressed developments across the region along with topics of shared concern.
The diplomatic discussions took place against a backdrop of unresolved regional friction and a series of incidents targeting vessels engaged in commercial trade.
Two Indian crew members aboard the Nicaragua-flagged tanker MT Petro Dolphin have yet to be accounted for following a drone strike at Sohar Anchorage on 11 October, with nine of the vessel's eleven Indian seafarers brought to safety, according to Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. Sonowal's post on X noted that search-and-rescue operations had been launched by the local Coast Guard, with authorities working alongside relevant agencies to help locate the missing crew members, adding that on 11 October the tanker MT Petro Dolphin — with 11 seafarers aboard — had come under a drone strike while anchored at Sohar Anchorage. Nine of the crew members from India have been brought to safety, while two others of Indian nationality are yet to be located.
Rescue personnel from the coastal authority have deployed vessels and teams to search the surrounding waters for survivors. Sonowal indicated that coordination with all relevant authorities was ongoing, with the aim of supporting rescue operations and taking every available step to locate missing personnel. Indian diplomatic staff in Oman indicated they were tracking developments and had kept open lines of communication with the relevant authorities.
Sonowal's post on X also noted that all 11 crew members from India aboard the Marshall Islands-registered tanker M/T Valthera had come through unharmed after a projectile of unidentified origin struck the vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on 11 October, triggering a fire on board. The minister's statement added that the tanker, carrying those same 11 seafarers, had been hit in that waterway and the resulting blaze had broken out within the ship. All 11 crew members of Indian nationality aboard were unharmed, according to available information. Sonowal stated that the vessel management company remained in active contact with authorities, with oversight of crew welfare and safety kept as an ongoing priority.
The attacks on those vessels along Gulf waterways form part of a pattern of similar incidents documented against commercial shipping in the area. Anchored in waters off Sharjah, the Panama-registered crude tanker MT GEM NO. 2 came under attack from a drone while carrying a 22-person crew, each of whom held Indian nationality. All 22 seafarers from India aboard the vessel were unharmed, according to a statement from Sonowal.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaei conveyed that Tehran holds authority over the energy corridor and that a return to regional stability hinges on an end to what he described as foreign military operations and economic restrictions. Baghaei pushed back on the position put forward by US officials, stating that conditions observable in the marketplace tell a different story from the one presented in Washington's formal statements. Baghaei put forward the view that others are welcome to draw their own conclusions about the Strait of Hormuz's diminished standing or a weakening of Iran's position, while pointing out that parallel actions are under way on Iran's end.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said that while the United States had moved toward accepting portions of the seven conditions tied to any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the response from Washington fell short of what Iran considers satisfactory. Rezaei wrote on X that the approach to diplomacy had shifted and that a reversion to previous conditions was not forthcoming.
