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Iran ready to cooperate for Gulf maritime safety, IMO representative says

March 22, 2026 5 min read International Relations Economics GS2 (International Organizations International Relations)
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What Happened

  • An International Maritime Organization (IMO) representative stated that Iran has expressed readiness to cooperate for Gulf maritime safety.
  • Iran's stated position: the Strait of Hormuz remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to Iran's "enemies" — a conditional openness that creates legal and practical uncertainty for international shippers.
  • The IMO statement represents an effort to establish a diplomatic channel for managing shipping safety amid active conflict, consistent with the organization's mandate to protect life and property at sea.
  • Iran's engagement with the IMO signals an attempt to preserve its standing in international maritime governance while pursuing its conflict objectives, separating the military conflict from the broader global shipping system.
  • Despite the stated cooperation offer, reports confirm cargo ships — including Indian vessels — continue to face delays, rerouting, and insurance complications in the region.

Static Topic Bridges

International Maritime Organization (IMO) — Structure, Mandate, and India's Role

The IMO is a specialized agency of the United Nations established under the Convention on the International Maritime Organization (adopted 1948, entered into force 1958). Its primary mandate is to develop and maintain a global regulatory framework for international shipping covering safety, environmental performance, legal matters, technical cooperation, maritime security, and efficiency.

  • Headquarters: London, United Kingdom.
  • Membership: 175 member states and 3 associate members (as of 2025); India has been a member since 1959.
  • IMO's four pillar conventions:
  • SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea, 1974) — safety standards for ship construction, equipment, operation
  • MARPOL (International Convention for Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973/78) — marine pollution prevention
  • STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping, 1978) — seafarer competence standards
  • MLC (Maritime Labour Convention, 2006) — seafarer rights and welfare
  • IMO Council is the executive body (40 members in three categories: A, B, C based on shipping/trade interests).
  • India was re-elected to IMO Council for 2026-2027 (Category B — states with largest interests in international seaborne trade) in November 2025, receiving the highest vote tally in its category (154 of 169 valid votes).
  • India has implemented all major IMO safety, environmental, and labour conventions and completed its IMSAS audit in March 2024.

Connection to this news: Iran's engagement through the IMO framework is significant because it signals a preference for maintaining the rules-based international maritime order even during armed conflict — a distinction between military targeting and maritime commerce disruption.

International humanitarian law (IHL) — including the 1907 Hague Convention XI, the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols — places limits on attacks on merchant shipping during armed conflict. The San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea (1994) is the most authoritative modern codification.

  • The San Remo Manual (1994) establishes that neutral merchant ships may not be attacked unless they are making an "effective contribution to the enemy's war effort."
  • Ships flying neutral flags are protected from attack unless carrying contraband or otherwise breaching neutrality.
  • "Blockade" under international law is a specific legal instrument with defined requirements: declaration, effectiveness, impartiality, and notification — a full blockade of Hormuz would require meeting these criteria.
  • Iran's declaration of selective denial (only "enemy-linked" vessels) falls in a grey zone — it is not a formally declared blockade but amounts to discriminatory interference with innocent passage rights.
  • The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and similar multilateral agreements have established the principle that commercial shipping must remain protected to sustain global economic interdependence.
  • India has ratified the UNCLOS and is a signatory to multiple IMO conventions; Indian-flagged and Indian-operated vessels have legal recourse through IMO's dispute resolution mechanisms, though enforcement at sea is a practical limitation.

Connection to this news: Iran's engagement with the IMO to discuss "maritime safety cooperation" is partly an attempt to manage its legal exposure under international law while conducting a conflict that effectively threatens the legal right of transit passage.

India's Maritime Interests — Merchant Fleet, Port Infrastructure, and SAGARMALA

India is the 16th largest maritime nation by fleet size and handles approximately 95% of its trade by volume through sea routes. The Sagarmala Programme (launched 2015) is India's comprehensive port-led development initiative.

  • India's merchant fleet: approximately 1,700+ vessels (as of 2025), with Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) as the largest state-owned operator.
  • India's 12 major ports handle approximately 60% of total port traffic; combined with 200+ minor/intermediate ports, they process over 1,400 million tonnes of cargo annually (as of 2024-25).
  • Sagarmala Programme pillars: port modernization, port connectivity enhancement, port-led industrialization, coastal community development.
  • The Gulf/West Asia shipping corridor is critical for India's energy imports, raw material imports, and exports to Europe (via Suez Canal–Red Sea–Gulf of Aden route).
  • The disruption has accelerated discussion of India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) — announced at the G20 New Delhi Summit in September 2023 — as an alternative connectivity infrastructure.

Connection to this news: Iran's IMO engagement is relevant to India as a major shipping nation with vessels, crew, and cargo caught in the conflict zone — India's re-election to the IMO Council positions it to advocate for shipping safety through multilateral channels.

Key Facts & Data

  • IMO established: 1958 (convention adopted 1948)
  • IMO headquarters: London; membership: 175 states
  • India's IMO membership: since 1959
  • India re-elected to IMO Council (2026-2027): highest votes in Category B (154/169)
  • IMO's 4 pillar conventions: SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW, MLC
  • India's merchant fleet: ~1,700+ vessels; SCI is largest state operator
  • India's trade by sea: ~95% by volume
  • Sagarmala Programme: launched 2015 by Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
  • IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Corridor): announced G20 New Delhi, September 2023
  • San Remo Manual (1994): primary codification of maritime warfare law