‘You gave me clearance. You are firing now': Audio from Indian tanker shot at by Iran navy

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. 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. Iran on Saturday shut the Strait of Hormuz once again, saying the waterway won't reopen until the US lifts its blockade on Iranian ports. (AP)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. An audio, reportedly from Sanmar Herald, has now surfaced, with the mariner from the vessel saying, “You gave me clearance to go. My name is second on your list. You are firing now. Let me turn back.” HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the viral video. The external affairs ministry has lodged a strong protest with Iran, summoning the Iranian ambassador to India over the matter. Tehran's envoy, Dr Mohammad Fathali, was summoned for a meeting at 6:30pm. The envoy met the MEA joint secretary for the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk at the meeting. A statement from the MEA said that the foreign secretary conveyed India's deep concern over the shooting incident and emphasised the importance that India attached to the safety of merchant shipping and mariners. ALSO READ | 'India-Iran relationship strong': Tehran representative after tankers shot at near Strait of Hormuz "Reiterating his concern at this serious incident of firing on merchant ships, Foreign Secretary urged the Ambassador to convey India’s views to the authorities in Iran and resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait. The Ambassador of Iran undertook to convey these views to the Iranian authorities,” the statement added. The Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway which acts as a passage for around 20 per cent of the world's crude shipments, is still at the eye of the storm -- one which began with the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. A top Iranian official said on Saturday that the strategic waterway will not reopen until the US lifts its naval blockade on Iranian ports, warning that a final peace deal remained "far" off. Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said during a televised address that there has been some "progress" in talks with the US, "but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain." "We are still far from the final discussion," said Ghalibaf. Tensions intensify as a two-week ceasefire is set to end on Wednesday, unless it is extended or a peace deal is achieved. Asmita Ravi Shankar is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi. She covers breaking news and focuses on crime, geopolitics, and the domestic political landscape. She has an eye for the intricacies in criminal investigations and a keen interest in how diplomacy and complexities affect politics, within India and globally. She has written extensively about Operation Sindoor, the Iran-US conflict, elections in India, Trump tariffs and diplomacy. Asmita also engages in multimedia storytelling, using interactive elements to enhance readers' news experience and build a high-traffic news ecosystem. With nearly three years of experience in the journalism industry, Asmita has been with HT for a little over a year. She has previously worked with online news teams at Outlook India and Network18, covering a wide range of beats and building her specialisation. In HT, she has been recognised for her comprehensive reportage and her contribution to coverage of the Bihar assembly election results, having single-handedly driven over 2 million users on that day. Asmita earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, the University of Delhi. She went on to earn a postgraduate diploma in integrated journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, sharpening her skills in multimedia storytelling, editing and sourcing to enrich her reportage. Additionally, Asmita holds a degree in Bharatanatyam from the Pracheen Kala Kendra. She is also a teacher of the Indian classical dance form. When not working on news, Asmita can be found dancing, binge-watching true crime docu-series, cooking and exploring various genres of music.Read More