Tehran cited the need to facilitate imports of Indian medicines, and also exempted vessels from China, Iraq, and Qatar

Iran has exempted Indian ships from the restrictions it imposed on passage through the Strait of Hormuz, along with vessels from China, Iraq, and Qatar, a senior Iranian lawmaker says.

The exemptions are intended to serve Iran’s interests, and in India’s case, to facilitate imports of medicines, the deputy chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Amir Hayat-Moghaddam, told the Iranian Students’ News Agency on Tuesday. Chinese ships have been exempted to secure Beijing’s political support.

India has been supplying and facilitating the transport of medicines and medical aid to Iran, which is under sanctions from the US and Europe, as a humanitarian gesture.

Iran restricted maritime traffic through the strategic waterway following the US-Israeli attack on February 28, and Washington subsequently retaliated with a naval blockade of Iranian ports.…