Tehran/New Delhi: India is keeping watch after one of its oil tankers was reportedly turned back from the Omani corridor in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency has claimed the vessel was directed to use a shipping lane designated by Tehran instead.
The tanker attempted to transit through the temporary maritime corridor established along the Omani coast but was instructed to turn back, the report said. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been issuing radio warnings to vessels intending to use the Omani corridor, directing them to instead navigate through the corridor approved by Iran, it says, as reported by India Today.
Ship-tracking data showed all vessels that passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday morning used the route designated by Iran, rather than the Omani corridor, Fars said.
The temporary corridor was announced on June 24 by Oman and the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) to facilitate the movement and evacuation of vessels stranded in the Gulf amid heightened regional tensions. The route, which runs along the Omani coast, was to be overseen by the US.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, handling a significant share of global oil shipments. Navigation through the waterway has come under increased scrutiny following recent military tensions in the region.
The situation eased to a certain extent after the US and Iran signed a temporary peace deal a few weeks ago. Hostilities between the two countries resumed on Wednesday after the US struck military targets in Iran in retaliation to strikes on cargo ships.
There was no immediate confirmation from Indian authorities, Oman, the IMO or the United States regarding the reported incident. The claims made by Fars News Agency could not be independently verified.
