Officials confirmed on Sunday that there were no casualties on the two Indian crude oil ships that came under fire by the Iranian navy, even as they said that the windows of one of the ships’ cabins were shattered in the incident, and Indian authorities made clear to Tehran that there would be consequences for such an action.
It is understood that there is a contradiction between the position of the Iranian diplomatic mission in India and the position of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps regarding the incident. Sources said that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard wants to impose fees on all ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz amid a conflict with the United States and Israel, even as the Indian authorities are unwilling to surrender to any of these demands.
The shooting incident on the two Indian ships – Jag Arnav and Sanmar Herald – comes at a time when the Iranian warship Iris Lavan, which took refuge from India, is still anchored in the port of Kochi. About 120 of the Iranian vessel’s 183 crew members have already been repatriated, even as some essential crew members remain to maintain the warship in the Kerala port. The Iranian ship took refuge in India after another warship, the Iris Dina, was torpedoed and sunk by an American submarine near Sri Lanka on March 4.
While there were reports that the IRGC is collecting fees from ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, an Indian official said there was no chance of India paying any such fees, adding that there would be consequences to the Iranian firing incident.
The two Indian vessels, large crude oil tankers carrying millions of barrels of oil, came under fire on Saturday by the Iranian navy north of Oman, forcing them to turn back from the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran said earlier that countries not participating in the conflict with the United States and Israel would not be targeted.
This development sparked a strong protest from the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as New Delhi summoned the Iranian envoy over this issue and expressed its deep dissatisfaction with the incident.
According to Marine Traffic, the Jag Arnav, a bulk carrier sailing under the Indian flag, was traveling from Jubail, Saudi Arabia on its way to India. Meanwhile, the second ship, Sanmar Herald, was on its way to India, carrying crude oil from Iraq.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
