LIVE: Trump warns Iran of bombing if deal not reached, rules out truce extension

India is in touch with the Iranian authorities for the safety of its ships and for their safe exit through the Strait of Hormuz, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday.

"In the past 48 hours, two Indian vessels, VLCC Samnar Herald and Bulk Carrier Jag Arnav, reported a firing incident while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, following which they returned to the Persian Gulf. There has been no injury to any crew reported," the Indian government said in an official statement after the briefing.

The safety and security of Indian seafarers is the top priority of government of India, it said.

"We have several of our ships in the Persian Gulf. And we have been in touch with Iran and others, so that we can have a safe exit of our ships through the Strait of Hormuz. In this effort, 10 of our ships have so far safely crossed the the Strait of Hormuz... One ship is to reach, it will happen soon, as my colleague gave you details of that," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

"When the firing incident happened, this happened on Saturday, two of our ships came under firing. When this matter was reported to us, we took it up very strongly. We called in the Iranian ambassador, he had a meeting with the foreign secretary. The foreign secretary conveyed our deep concerns on the incident and also reiterated the point that we have been making," he said.

Countries standing up for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz are sending “the right message”, the head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said as tensions between Iran and the United States continue to threaten global shipping.

Speaking to Singapore media on Monday, Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the IMO, also cautioned against the growing use of shipping as leverage in geopolitical conflicts.

Dominguez said the IMO has drawn up evacuation plans for roughly 20,000 seafarers stranded aboard more than 1,600 vessels still stuck in the Persian Gulf.

The organisation has also worked out arrangements with a group of countries to ensure the Strait of Hormuz is cleared of mines and other hazards when shipping eventually resumes, The Straits Times reported on Tuesday, citing the IMO chief.

“The reality is that we need the global community to rally behind a de-escalation of the conflict to allow us to trade as usual,” he said, noting that the IMO has been in contact with Iran and neighbouring countries such as Oman to discuss how safe trade through the Strait of Hormuz can resume after the conflict ends.

“It’s not over yet but the sooner it comes to an end, the sooner we can all start tackling the next round of challenges,” the daily quoted Dominguez as saying.

“The longer this goes on, the more negative impacts we will see on the global economy.”

Dominguez also rejected the idea of tolls or payment mechanisms in waterways used for international navigation. “I want to highlight the position of the Government of Singapore, which was very loud and clear that it was not going to negotiate on those terms,” he said.

A key border crossing between Iraq and Syria reopened on Monday for the first time in more than a decade, with officials highlighting its potential for trade and oil exports. Syria touted the crossing as a safe overland route for oil exports and an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz at the focus of the Iran war.

The crossing — known as Rabia in Iraq and Yarubiyah in Syria — was closed after the Syrian civil war began in 2011. Then in 2014, militants from the Islamic State group seized the area. Iraqi Kurdish forces later retook it.

Syria's state-run SANA news agency said that Syrian and Iraqi officials at the crossing discussed how to improve coordination and ease transit and trade “in line with shared interests.”

Nadia al-Jubouri, a member of Iraq's provincial council of Nineveh, said at the ceremony that the reopening will allow for "trade exchange and oil transportation towards this great gate.” Iraq relies heavily on oil revenues for roughly 90 per cent of its budget, and most of its oil is exported through the Strait of Hormuz.

Cuba's government on Monday confirmed that it had recently met with US officials on the island as tensions between the two sides remain high over the US energy blockade of the Caribbean country.

Senior US State Department officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, had said on Friday that American diplomats flew earlier in April to the island for the first time since 2016 in a new diplomatic push. Neither US nor Cuban officials have said exactly when the meeting took place nor which US officials took part.

Alejandro García del Toro, deputy director general in charge of US affairs at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Monday that the US delegation included assistant secretaries of state, and that the Cuban delegation included representatives at the level of deputy foreign minister.

The exchange was conducted “respectfully and professionally," he said, adding that the US delegation did not issue any threats or deadlines as has been reported in some US media.

“The elimination of the energy embargo against the country was a top priority for our delegation,” García del Toro said. “This act of economic coercion is an unjustified punishment of the entire Cuban population.” He added: “It is also a form of global blackmail against sovereign states, which have every right to export fuel to Cuba, under the rules that govern free trade.”

Among conditions for a lifting of US sanctions on Cuba, Washington is pressing the Cuban government to end political repression, release political prisoners and liberalize its ailing economy.