INDIA PERSPECTIVE

New Delhi asked the question nobody else was asking: does the American blockade actually work? The Times of India headlined 'Is Trump's Hormuz blockade a success?' and revealed, backed by data from maritime firm Vortexa, that 34 Iran-linked tankers had slipped past restrictions since the blockade began. Among them, at least six were confirmed carrying Iranian crude -- roughly 10.7 million barrels. At discounted Brent prices, those volumes translate to approximately $910 million in revenue for Tehran. Trump had nonetheless told CNBC that 'the blockade has been a tremendous success' and that the US 'totally controls the strait.' The article noted CENTCOM claims to have redirected 28 vessels, but the Times of India set that figure against the 34 tankers that got through anyway. India is not a neutral spectator: the Iranian tanker Derya failed to discharge its cargo in India before a sanctions waiver expired on Sunday. The supertanker Dorena, intercepted by a US destroyer, had been sailing off India's southern coast. New Delhi monitors every movement in the Indian Ocean as a potential infringement on its maritime sovereignty. India is the world's third-largest oil importer, and every barrel blocked at Hormuz is a barrel New Delhi will have to pay more for elsewhere.