India and four other “friendly nations” were allowed to move their ships through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, adding that Tehran has established its “sovereignty” over the waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
He also thanked India and Sri Lanka for their “significant help” after an Iranian vessel, IRIS Dena, was sunk in a U.S. attack in the Indian Ocean during the conflict and said no talks were being held with Washington.
“We permitted passage through the Strait of Hormuz for friendly nations including China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan,” Mr. Araghchi said in an interview with the Iran News Network that was broadcast on Wednesday (March 25, 2026) night.
“The Strait of Hormuz is located in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, and Iran’s sovereignty is established there. After the war, we will also have new arrangements for passing through the Strait,” he said. “In the incident of the Dena ship, which was unfairly attacked without any warning, I must thank Sri Lanka and India for their significant help in transferring two other ships to a safe location,” he added.
The Iranian frigate was attacked and sunk by a U.S. Navy submarine on March 4 off the coast of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean while returning from exercises in Visakhapatnam. At least 87 sailors were killed in the attack. IRIS Lavan and IRIS Bushehr, which also came to the region to take part in the drills, have now docked in Kochi and Sri Lanka’s Trincomalee, respectively.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which more than a hundred ships passed daily before the war, has seen traffic plunge to single digits since the conflict began.
At least four India-flagged ships — Jag Vasant, Pine Gas, Shivalik, and Nanda Devi — have transited the strait since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28.
Mr. Araghchi, who was Iran’s chief negotiator with the U.S. before the war, also said no talks were being held with the U.S. “I state firmly that there has been no negotiation with the U.S. However, in recent days, the American side has begun sending various messages through different intermediaries.. and we have responded by stating our positions. It is simply an exchange of messages through friends,” he said. “At present, our position is to continue resisting, continue defending our country. We have no intention of negotiating.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, who “postponed” on Monday a threatened strike on Iran’s power infrastructure, has said Washington is in talks with Tehran. Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minster and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said “indirect talks” between the two sides are taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan. “The United States has shared 15 points, being deliberated upon by Iran. Brotherly countries of Turkiye and Egypt, among others, are also extending their support to this initiative,” Mr. Dar wrote in a social media post.
On Wednesday, Iran’s state media reported that Tehran has dismissed the U.S. proposal and laid down a five-point plan to end the war, including security guarantees against future aggression, war reparations and a new framework to operate the Strait of Hormuz.
Mr. Trump on Thursday said Iran should “better get serious soon” in talks, “before it’s too late, because once that happens, there is no turning back”. American media have reported that the Pentagon is sending more troops to West Asia in preparation for a possible ground offensive against Iran.
Mr. Araghchi said in the interview that the U.S.’s talk about negotiations is “an admission of failure”. “Didn’t they say unconditional surrender? So why are they now mobilising their highest officials to negotiate?” he said, referring an earlier social media post by Mr. Trump that demanded unconditional surrender from Iran.
“A ceasefire without guarantees is a vicious cycle that repeats the war. We were not seeking war, but we do not want a ceasefire that allows the enemy to attack us again,” he added.
Published – March 26, 2026 11:56 am IST
