A large Indian oil tanker carrying about 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil came under fire on Saturday by the Iranian navy north of Oman, shortly after reports that two Indian ships were forced to turn back from the Strait of Hormuz, people familiar with the matter said.
Two ships – Jag Arnav and Sanmar Herald – were involved in the incident, and only one was directly attacked. According to initial reports, Jag Arnav was shot, raising fresh concerns about maritime security in the area, while Sanmar Herald, which was in the vicinity, was not targeted and remained unharmed.
They added that the Indian Navy is trying to confirm the details of the incident, as there is no Indian Navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz. India has two destroyers, a frigate and a tanker in the Gulf of Oman.
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The officials said India takes the shooting by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seriously, and the country supports open and free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. They said that there was another Indian crude oil tanker next to the tanker that caught fire, but it was not present in the incident.
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the most important oil transit corridors in the world, as 20% of global crude shipments pass through it.
India is among the countries with the largest number of ships passing through the strait, reflecting its dependence on energy imports from the Gulf region.
Iran, amid the war with the US, has included India among the friendly countries allowing its ships to pass through the vital strait while keeping others grounded with threats of a drone missile attack.
Read also: Middle East Airlines summons the Iranian ambassador after shooting at an Indian-flagged tanker near the Strait of Hormuz
The attacks come as Iran announced the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on Friday following a 10-day US-brokered ceasefire agreement on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon.
Maritime trackers even showed a convoy of eight oil tankers crossing the strait in the first major ship movement since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran seven weeks ago.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had agreed to open the strait, while Iranian officials said they wanted the United States to completely lift the blockade it imposes on Iranian tankers.
