Vishwamitra Brief Issue #009 | 4 October 2026 The week offered a useful test of how claims survive contact with evidence: a G7 oil release, an American military exit from Iraq, attacks on Kyiv's bridges, and new measurements of Mars, a neutron-star merger and Vesuvius. By Santhosh Vishwamitra Strategic Briefing The G7 agreed on 2 October to coordinate the release of 100 million barrels of crude and diesel through the International Energy Agency over four months, with a substantial diesel release front-loaded into the first 20 days. The more revealing figure is 75 million barrels. The IEA said that 325 million barrels had been released from the 400 million barrels pledged in March. It remains unclear whether the new G7 release includes that outstanding amount or comes on top of it. This issue covers 28 September to 4 October 2026. Washington and its allies argued over fuel, the last US troops left Iraq, and Russian strikes damaged Kyiv's bridges. At...
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Through the War Zone: How India's First Oil Tanker Slipped Past the Strait of Hormuz | Inside Stories
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A million barrels of Saudi crude, One tanker, A war zone in between, and a quiet diplomatic win that India will not say too much about publicly.
What Happened
On Wednesday, March 11, a Liberia-flagged oil tanker named Shenlong Suezmax docked at Mumbai port carrying 135,335 metric tonnes of Saudi Arabian crude. It became the first India-bound vessel to successfully pass through the Strait of Hormuz since the US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28.
The ship berthed at Jawahar Dweep at 6:06 PM. Its cargo will be discharged to refineries in Mahul, eastern Mumbai. Discharge alone is expected to take around 36 hours.
It sounds routine. It was anything but.
How It Got Through
The Shenlong loaded crude at Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia's largest oil export terminal, on March 1 and departed on March 3. By March 8, maritime tracking systems placed the vessel inside the Strait of Hormuz. Then it vanished.
The ship switched off its AIS transponder, the mandatory radio system that broadcasts a vessel's identity, position, and speed to nearby ships and shore stations. Going dark in a war zone is a calculated risk. The Shenlong reappeared on tracking systems on March 9, already past the strait and heading toward India.
The ship is owned by Shenlong Shipping Ltd and managed by Dynacom Tanker Management of Athens. It is captained by an Indian mariner. There are 29 crew members on board, including Indian, Pakistani, and Filipino nationals.
Meanwhile, two other ships were not so lucky. Iran's IRGC Naval Force commander Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri confirmed on Wednesday that two vessels, the Express Rome and the Mayuree Naree, were targeted after ignoring Iranian warnings and attempting to cross without permission. His message was direct: any vessel wanting to pass must get Iran's approval first.
The Diplomacy Behind It
The Shenlong's passage did not happen in isolation. India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had spoken with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on March 10, just a day before the tanker docked. It was their third conversation since the war began. The first was on February 28, the day strikes started. The second on March 5.
Safe maritime passage for Indian vessels was a key point in that call. Sources familiar with the talks told multiple Indian outlets that Iran agreed to allow India-flagged tankers through. Following the diplomatic breakthrough, two India-flagged tankers, Pushpak and Parimal, are now reported to be transiting the strait safely as well.
Jaishankar also spoke separately with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on the same day, pressing for stable passage through Gulf shipping lanes.
One important caveat: Reuters quoted an Iranian official who denied that any formal permission had been granted. India's Ministry of External Affairs has not made a public confirmation. So the picture on the diplomatic side is not entirely clean. What is clear is that the ship got through, and two more Indian vessels appear to be following.
Around 40 per cent of India's crude oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Around 20 per cent of global oil supply moves through the same corridor. Since February 28, maritime traffic through the strait has all but stopped. Hundreds of ships are anchored on both sides, waiting.
As of Wednesday, India's Directorate General of Shipping confirmed 28 Indian-flagged vessels are still operating in the Persian Gulf region. Of those, 24 are west of the strait carrying 677 Indian seafarers. Four are east of the strait with 101 crew on board. The Shipping Ministry has a 24-hour control room running since February 28 to monitor the situation.
Oil prices are rising sharply. Brent crude was trading around $100.25 per barrel as of March 12, up significantly from pre-war levels. At its peak earlier this week, Brent touched $119 per barrel. Every day the strait stays effectively closed, the pressure on India's energy import bill grows.
Iran's current position: vessels not serving US or Israeli interests can pass, but only with prior permission from Tehran. That is a significant shift in how the strait has historically operated, and it puts every shipping company in the region in an impossible position.
The Shenlong's arrival in Mumbai is a small but real win for Indian diplomacy. Jaishankar calling Tehran three times in two weeks, pressing for maritime access while every Western nation was either waging war or issuing sanctions, is exactly the kind of quiet, transactional diplomacy India does well. No press conferences. No grand statements. Just results.
But one tanker does not fix the problem. Twenty-eight Indian ships are still stuck in the Gulf. Hundreds of other vessels from other nations are anchored, waiting. The strait is not open, it is negotiable now on Iran's terms. That is a fundamentally different thing. India secured a passage, not a principle. The moment the diplomacy stops, so does the oil.
Verdict
One tanker through. Two more following. Twenty-eight still waiting. India got a passage, not a guarantee. And the Strait of Hormuz is not open for business. It is open for those who ask Tehran nicely enough.
Santhosh Vishwamitra is the founder of SVM Labs and writes about geopolitics, global affairs, and technology. For content on web development and writing, visit santhoshvishwamitrablog.wordpress.com.
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