‘You Are Firing Now’: Distress Call Captures Indian Crew’s Fear as Tankers Come Under Fire in Hormuz

Two Indian-flagged oil tankers were forced to turn back in the Strait of Hormuz after coming under fire from Iranian gunboats, amid heightened tensions linked to the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.

No injuries were reported and the vessels did not sustain any damage during the incident, sources said, as quoted by NDTV.

A distress message from one of the tankers has surfaced, capturing the confusion during the episode.

A crew member aboard the crude oil tanker Sanmar Herald is heard attempting to communicate with the Iranian navy in an audio clip of about 30 seconds shared by TankerTrackers.com, which monitors global shipments.

"Sepah Navy. Sepah Navy. This is the motor tanker Sanmar Herald. You gave me clearance to go. My name is second on your list. You are firing now. Let me turn back," the individual was heard saying.

Was the tanker in the Strait of Hormuz ‘Green Area’ when it came under fire?

Citing footage it recorded, NBC reported that the vessel was in the strait's "Green Area" at the time of the firing.

Responding to the incident, Dr Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in India, stressed the strength of ties between the two countries while calling for peace in the region.

"Our relationship with India is very strong... India has benefited from the good relationship between Iran and India in getting their oil and tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz,” he told the media.

"The relationship between Iran and India is rooted in 5,000 years of history. Iranians are connected to India by culture, civilisation, education, humanity, and philosophy. Our relationship is very strong and will continue to grow stronger," Ilahi added.

Calling for de-escalation, he said, "We don't want this war. We want peace, and we hope that the other side will also follow peace so that we can have a peaceful area."

On the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Ilahi linked the disruption to prevailing security concerns.

"The Strait of Hormuz was open, and due to the imposed war against Iran, it was closed, because of the security issues, and we hope that very soon it will be open…,” he said.

“Yes, it was open for some time, but as there are some problems and crises around Iran, they wanted to be sure that the problems would be solved and it would be open very soon," he added.

(With inputs from ANI)