You gave clearance: Distress audio from Indian tanker to Iran in Hormuz surfaces
In the recording, the captain of the motor tanker Sanmar Herald can be heard urgently calling out to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, saying they had already been given clearance to proceed and pleading for permission to turn back as shots were fired.
PTC News Desk: A tense audio recording from an Indian-flagged tanker has revealed a dramatic exchange during a firing incident in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian forces targeted merchant vessels attempting to pass through the channel.
In the recording, the captain of the motor tanker Sanmar Herald can be heard urgently calling out to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, saying they had already been given clearance to proceed and pleading for permission to turn back as shots were fired.
The audio surfaced a day after two Indian-flagged ships, including a supertanker, came under gunfire on Saturday while transiting the strait. The vessels were forced to reverse course after personnel from the IRGC opened fire.
Officials said the supertanker was carrying nearly 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil at the time. Intercepts indicate IRGC gunboats fired as ships were redirected westward. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations also confirmed that two IRGC gunboats fired at a tanker in the area.
Earlier reports placed the gunfire between Qeshm Island and Larak Island, forcing vessels to abort their transit. A maritime security source added that a container ship may also have been struck during the incident.
Several ships in the region picked up VHF broadcasts declaring the Strait of Hormuz “completely closed again.” The broadcast warned:
“Attention all ships, regarding the failure of the US government to fulfil its commitment in the negotiation, Iran declares the Strait of Hormuz completely closed again. No vessel of any type or nationality is allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.”