India has called for the immediate restoration of unimpeded freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz (the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, through which a significant share of the world's oil passes), describing the targeting of commercial shipping during the West Asia conflict as deplorable. Speaking at the UN General Assembly on 16 April 2026, India's Permanent Representative Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish cited the strait's critical importance to India's energy and economic security. The statement underscores growing concern among major oil-importing nations about disruptions to a chokepoint through which a substantial portion of global crude supplies flows.