India protests Iran fire on two vessels in Strait of Hormuz

What you need to know

• India voiced concern at what it called a "serious incident of firing" on two India-flagged merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz
• New Delhi summoned Iran's ambassador over the incident
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address four rallies in West Bengal today as state assembly polls near

Here are the latest developments from India on Sunday, April 19.

Vice President CP Radhakrishnan on key Sri Lanka tour

India's Vice President CP Radhakrishnan has begun a two-day official visit to Sri Lanka. 

Radhakrishnan arrived in Colombo on Sunday morning for what marks the first bilateral visit by an Indian Vice President to its southern maritime neighbor. 

The Vice President held talks with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat.

"Both leaders held productive discussions on further deepening the multifaceted India–Sri Lanka ties, rooted in shared history, strong civilizational and people-to-people linkages," a statement from the vice president’s office said.

At the meeting, Radhakrishnan stressed on New Delhi's commitment to its neighbourhood first policy and to boost cooperation between the two nations, a foreign ministry statement added. 

He is also set to hold talks with Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya.

In the course of his visit, Radhakrishnan will meet and interact with leaders of the Indian-origin Tamil community and Tamil leaders from Sri Lanka's northern and eastern regions, according to an official statement. 

Indian-origin Tamils are descendants of workers brought by the British Empire to work on plantations in the island's central highlands, while other Tamil-speaking communities in the north and east trace their roots in Sri Lanka back millenia.

During his Saturday visit, Radhakrishnan is expected to address the Indian diaspora at an event in the Sri Lankan capital, news agency PTI reported.

The vice president will also visit settlements developed under Phase III of India's Housing Project in the country, which has constructed 4,000 houses so far, with an additional 10,000 in the works, news agency ANI reported.

The trip is Radhakrishnan's first official foreign tour since assuming office in September last year. 

Top Iran representative says India-Iran ties strong amid Hormuz shooting incident

The Iranian Supreme Leader's representative in India said that bilateral ties between the Islamic Republic and New Delhi remained strong, after two Indian vessels were reportedly fired upon while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

"The relationship between Iran and India is very strong and I don't know anything about this event which you mentioned and we hope that it will be okay and it will be solved," Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi told news agency ANI. 

He went on to call for peace in the US-Israeli war with Iran.

"We don't want this war. We want peace, and we hope that the other side will also follow peace so that we can have a peaceful area," Ilahi  said.

On Saturday, India voiced "deep concern" at what it called a "shooting incident" involving two Indian-flagged ships in the critical waterway.

The foreign ministry in New Delhi summoned Iran's ambassador Mohammad Fathali for a meeting with Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to lodge its protest over the incident. 

A statement from the foreign ministry said that Misri stressed "the importance that India attached to the safety of merchant shipping and mariners".

It added that Misri recalled that Tehran had previously facilitated the safe passage of several India-bound ships.

Monitoring site TankerTrackers.com said on X that "two Indian vessels were forced back west out of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran's Sepah (IRGC) Navy".

It added that one of the vessels was "an Indian-flagged VLCC supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil."

The two vessels were reported to be among the several ships trying to pass through Hormuz after Iran on Friday declared it open for shipping.

However, a day later Iran announced that it had reimposed its blockade on the waterway.

Welcome to our coverage

It's Sunday morning in India. This is Dharvi Vaid Dhulia from DW’s studio in New Delhi, bringing you the biggest headlines from across the country.

The representative of Iran’s supreme leader in India has hailed strong ties between Tehran and New Delhi after two Indian-flagged merchant ships were fired upon while attempting to ‌cross the ⁠Strait ⁠of Hormuz. 

India had lodged a protest over the incident, summoning the Iranian ambassador last evening.

In other news, India’s Vice President C P Radhakrishnan has reached Sri Lanka for a two-day visit aimed at bolstering bilateral ties. 

Meanwhile in domestic politics, battle lines are being drawn ahead of upcoming state assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address four rallies in the eastern state of West Bengal today. 

Stay tuned as we bring you more news and developments from India as they unfold.