‘Turn around immediately’: Moment Iranian Navy blocks Indian tanker in Strait of Hormuz – Watch | India News
“Bhagya Lakshmi” – one of two Indian-flagged tankers – returned to the Strait of Hormuz after being denied passage by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy after Iran announced it was closing the narrow waterway.In a video shared by an Iranian journalist from X, the ship’s crew members can be heard trying to communicate with the Iranian navy, requesting permission to cross the Strait of Hormuz.Also read: Calls of frantic plight of Indian navy during Hormuz shelling have surfaced However, the Iranian Navy informed the ship that they do not have access.“The Iranian Navy, it is Bhagya Lakshmi. I read you loud and clear,” said a crew member.The Iranian Navy, on the other hand, asked the ship to “turn around immediately”. Bhagya Lakshmi accepted.Meanwhile, another distress call came in from the Sanmar Herald. A crew member aboard the crude oil tanker said, “Sepah Navy. Sepah Navy. This is the motor tanker Sanmar Herald. You have cleared me to go. My name is second on your list. You are shooting now. Let me go back,” the man was heard saying.Two Indian-flagged tankers returned to the Strait of Hormuz after being fired upon by Iranian gunboats yesterday, as the waterway – through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas flows – remains at the center of confusion amid tensions involving the US, Israel and Iran. No injuries were reported, and the ship was not damaged in the firing, sources said.According to Reuters, ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday received radio messages from Iran’s navy that they were not allowed to pass, while two ships were reported to have been hit by gunfire. Several commercial ships attempted to transit the strait a day earlier after a notice to sailors that passage was permitted but would be restricted to lanes deemed safe by Iran, the report added.Meanwhile, India has expressed concern over the safety of merchant shipping and seafarers following reports of firing on commercial ships. The Ministry of External Affairs said Iran had earlier helped ensure safe passage of several India-bound ships.Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri urged the Iranian ambassador to convey New Delhi’s concerns to the authorities in Tehran and to speedily restore safe passage of Indian ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The ambassador assured that India’s concerns would be conveyed.Iran has addressed the shooting incident involving an Indian-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz amid rising regional tensions, with its top envoy in India stressing strong ties and calling for peace.”Relations between Iran and India are very strong and I don’t know anything about the incident you mentioned and we hope it will be fixed and resolved,” said the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader Dr. Abdul Majeed Hakim Elahi in India.Iran’s Joint Military Command later said control over the strait had returned to “strict management” by the armed forces.The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned through the Tasnim news agency that ships in the strait could be deemed to be acting in support of enemy forces and could be targeted.
