Tehran: Iran has announced that its relevant authorities are probing whether Indian-flagged vessels were fired upon by Iranian military forces following reports of gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz, against a backdrop of heightened tensions over shipping in the vital waterway.
“Iranian institutions are investigating whether Indian vessels were targeted by Iranian armed forces,” stated Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
The announcement follow
s India summoning Iranian envoy Mohammad Fathali on Saturday after accounts emerged that two Indian vessels — Sanmar Herald (carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude oil) and Jag Arnav (loaded with urea) — were forced to turn around in the key chokepoint due to alleged shooting involving Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, according to authoritative sources quoted by PTI.
A formal protest was registered with the ambassador.
The episode occurred in the Strait of Hormuz, where merchant vessels sought to navigate after Iran temporarily declared the passage open for traffic. Tehran subsequently backtracked, announcing the strait’s closure once more and accusing the United States of breaching mutual agreements between the nations.
A vessel tracking report indicated that two Indian ships,reversed direction following reports of gunfire linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.