India is holding diplomatic talks with Iran and taking other measures to help shield its exporters from the impact of attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Houthi group in Yemen, according to a government source, Reuters reports.

“The defence ministry has improved surveillance (in the region) and the ministry of external affairs is diplomatically negotiating this very well,” said the government source, who requested anonymity.

The finance ministry’s banking division will also make it easier for exporters affected by the disruption to get credit, he added.

“The idea is to ensure credit flow to exporters is maintained as cargoes are getting delayed and transit is costing more,” the source said.

The government source said trade volumes from major ports had not been affected so far, but ships were having to take longer routes to avoid the attacks.