New Delhi [India], March 17 (ANI): Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday termed as 'baseless' the reports which suggested that Iran had demanded the return of three vessels seized by India in return for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Addressing the Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in West Asia in the national capital, Jaiswal said

'This report is baseless. There has been no discussion between Indian and Iranian authorities of this nature. I would also like to say that in any case, the three vessels that you referred to are not Iranian-owned, neither are there any Iranian crew on these vessels.'

He further added that 'they are not tankers, they are vessels.'

The MEA spokesperson's comments followed in the wake of reports claiming Iran demanded the return of three tankers seized by India in exchange for permitting the safe passage of Indian-flagged or India-bound ships from the Strait of Hormuz.

The MEA official further said that India is still in talks with Iran on several ships that are still there in the Strait of Hormuz.

'We are in talks with Iran and other countries. As our Special Secretary mentioned, many ships are still there in the Strait of Hormuz area. It is our intention to work with Iran and other countries to bring those ships back home safely. This is our objective. Discussions are ongoing on this issue. Regarding humanitarian aid, we are in talks with Iran on a number of issues.'

India has reiterated its longstanding position calling for immediate de-escalation through dialogue in the ongoing tensions in West Asia. US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, which resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. Tehran subsequently launched retaliatory strikes against Israel and US military facilities across the Gulf region.

In today's press conference, Jaiswal said, 'From the very beginning, we have been saying that it has been our position that a dialogue path should be established. A diplomatic channel should be established to bring this conflict to an end as soon as possible. We have also stated that we call on all countries to exercise restraint and prevent the conflict from escalating.'

The MEA spokesperson has also highlighted India's consistent advocacy for structural changes in global governance, including the reform of the United Nations.

'For the past several decades, it has been our position that the United Nations should be reformed as soon as possible...The sooner we do it, the better for the United Nations and for the world,' Jaiswal said

The MEA spokesperson said that several BRICS members are involved actively in the conflict, making it difficult to bridge the gap, but India, as the BRICS President continues to be engaged with everyone.

'In BRICS, we hold the presidency. BRICS works on the basis of consensus. As you know, in this particular ongoing conflict, there are several members of BRICS who are involved in it. And for that reason, it has been difficult to bridge the gap between the positions that countries have taken. But we remain, continue to be engaged with all the stakeholders,' he said.

Jaiswal said that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had discussed the West Asia situation in his visit to Brussels with his European counterparts.

'External Affairs Minister discussed pressing global challenges, including the ongoing conflict in West Asia, with his counterparts from Europe, whom he met on the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting,' he said.

Aseem Mahajan, Joint Secretary (Gulf) at the Ministry of External Affairs, said that the mortal remains of the two Indian nationals who lost their lives in the incident in Sohar city in Oman were received by the families in Jaipur today and offered condolences.

He said, 'The mortal remains of the two Indian nationals who unfortunately lost their lives in the incident in Sohar city in Oman have been received by the families in Jaipur today. We express our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. The embassy remains in regular contact with the hospital authorities and the company to monitor the condition of the injured Indian nationals. None of the Indian nationals is reported to be seriously injured.'

'On the Safesea Vishnu, which was the incident which took place off the coast of Iraq in Basra, our mission team is on the ground to assist for the early return of the 15 Indian crew members of the Safesea Vishnu who were safely evacuated and are currently residing in a hotel in Basra. They are also coordinating with the concerned Iraqi authorities for the early repatriation of the mortal remains of the Indian national who unfortunately lost his life in the incident,' he added.

Mahajan added that Indian missions in the region are working to secure the mortal remains of the deceased Indian nationals.

'Five Indian nationals have unfortunately lost their lives, and one is missing in earlier incidents. The mortal remains of two Indian nationals from Oman have arrived in India today. Our missions in Oman, Iraq and UAE are in regular touch with the concerned authorities regarding the missing Indian national and for the early repatriation of the mortal remains of the three other deceased Indian nationals,' he said. (ANI)