India is unlikely to be part of any multinational coalition on Strait of Hormuz

India is not expected to join any multinational naval coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz, opting instead to rely on its own naval resources to protect merchant vessels amid the escalating war in West Asia. The message is clear: the heavy lifting will be done by the Indian Navy.

Indian govt sources told WION that, "India has been carrying out operations in western Indian ocean for years, esp under Op Sankalp, which India has carried on its own capacity", detailing that “while other multinational operation in anti piracy has taken place, India has carried independent, effective anti piracy operation without being part of multinational constructs”.

India currently has 22 Indian-flagged vessels with 611 seafarers in the Persian Gulf region. 2 two Indian-flag LPG carriers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, carrying about 92,712 MT of LPG, crossed the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend and are due to dock at Mundra, Kandla port very soon.

For India, the Indian Navy has long prepared for conflict scenarios in the western Indian Ocean. Since June 2019, Operation Sankalp has provided armed escorts, surveillance and rapid response to threats, including piracy, drones and missiles, for vessels in the Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Aden.

Recent deployments have included warships escorting tankers like Shivalik and Nanda Devi through Hormuz, with the security corridor expected to remain in place for some time.

The long-standing Indian stance comes as US President Donald Trump has urged other nations to step up, posting on Truth Social: "The Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage" and that the US "will help-A Lot". He listed China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others" to send ships "to the area".

The war sparked by US and Israeli attacks on Iran on 28 February enters its third week, and there seems to be no end in sight. With counterattacks by Iran, the vessel traffic through Hormuz, a strategic waterway, has been negligible. Iran has, however, allowed some vessels, including India-bound ships. The closure has sent energy prices soaring, triggering emergency conservation measures in import-dependent countries.

Countries from South Korea to India, from Sri Lanka to Pakistan, have imposed steps, from fuel rationing via QR codes and flue caps on vehicles to redirecting commercial LPG to households, school closures and even salary cuts in some cases.