‘Let me turn back’: Indian tanker appeals to Iran navy as ship comes under fire

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like An audio recording, reportedly from Sanmar Herald, one of the two Indian tankers that were fired upon by the Iranian navy north of Oman, has surfaced. Two Indian vessels — Jag Arnav and Sanmar Herald — were fired upon by the Iranian navy, representational image. (REUTERS)An official from the tanker can be heard telling Tehran’s navy that it was firing at the India-flagged vessel, despite having given clearance for it to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The audio recording was released by TankerTrackers.com. In a statement on X, TankerTrackers said that such recordings make their way throughout the maritime grapevine, usually over WhatsApp. TankerTrackers said that it verified that the AIS movements of Sanmar Herald corroborate the timing of that audio. Also read | Two Indian ships allowed to pass through Strait of Hormuz amid Iran-US war “Sepah Navy! Sepah Navy! This is Motor Vessel Sanmar Herald. You gave me clearance to go. My name is second on your list. You are firing now. Let me turn back,” the mariner from the vessel can be heard saying in the audio recording. Two Indian vessels — Jag Arnav and Sanmar Herald — were fired upon by the Iranian navy, in contradiction to Tehran’s earlier statements that countries not involved in the conflict with the US and Israel will not be targeted. Jag Arnav is an India-flagged bulk carrier, travelling from Saudi Arabia’s Al Jubail to India, according to Marine Traffic. Meanwhile, Sanmar Herald was carrying crude oil from Iraq to India.