Iran Opens Fire, 2 Tankers Bound For India Retreat
Confusion prevailed in the Strait after Iran on Saturday reversed its reopening of the Strait. The US military said it has forced 23 ships to turn around near the Strait of Hormuz since it imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran's joint military command said Saturday that "control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... Under strict management and control of the armed forces."
New Delhi: The Indian government on Saturday called the Iranian Ambassador to India, Dr Mohammad Fathali for a meeting with Foreign Secretary Mr Vikram Misri and expressed “deep concern” over the incident of firing on two Indian vessels by the Iranian Navy while crossing the Strait Hormuz. The ships had to change course midway after being fired at. Expressing his concern at this “serious incident of firing” on merchant ships, Foreign Secretary urged the envoy to convey India’s views to the authorities in Iran and resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait.
One of the vessels is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) supertanker, reported to be carrying two million barrels of Iraqi oil to India. As per reports, the captain of one the ships “Sanmar Herald” was heard saying on radio “Sepah Navy! Motor Tanker Sanmar Herald! Sanmar Herald! Sepah Navy! You gave me clearance! You gave me clearance to go! Sepah Navy! Sepah Navy! This is motor tanker Sanmar Herald! You gave me clearance to go! My name second on your list! You gave me clearance to go! You are firing now! Let me turn back!”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy is also known as Sepah Navy.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the Foreign Secretary conveyed India’s deep concern at the shooting incident involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz. “He noted the importance that India attached to the safety of merchant shipping and mariners and recalled that Iran had earlier facilitated the safe passage of several ships bound for India. Reiterating his concern at this serious incident of firing on merchant ships, Foreign Secretary urged the Ambassador to convey India’s views to the authorities in Iran and resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait,” the MEA said adding the ambassador of Iran undertook to convey these views to the Iranian authorities.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Consulate in Hyderabad wrote on X that new Iranian oil shipment had arrived in India despite blockade. “The Iranian supertanker Dorna, which was last seen in Iran just hours before the blockade, has now appeared on the AIS off the southern coast of India and is scheduled to deliver about two million barrels of crude oil to a refinery there,” the Consulate said while quoting a US intelligence firm TankerTrackers. “This is the third oil shipment that India has received from Iran in at least the past week, bringing the total amount of oil India has purchased from Iran to 6 million barrels, according to figures released so far,” the Iranians said.
Several commercial vessels tried to cross the Strait of Hormuz after Iran on Friday announced that it has opened the waterway for commercial traffic. However, Tehran on Saturday said it has again closed the Strait of Hormuz, alleging that the US violated certain understanding reached between the two sides. One Cargo Ship ‘Bhagya Laxmi’, with all-Indian crew, under the flag of Antigua & Barbuda or the Marshall Islands, carrying Iranian crude oil was a forced to retreat by Iranians saying she had no permission to cross the Strait. The vessel complied and turned back.
Confusion prevailed in the Strait after Iran on Saturday reversed its reopening of the Strait. The US military said it has forced 23 ships to turn around near the Strait of Hormuz since it imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran's joint military command said Saturday that "control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... Under strict management and control of the armed forces."
