A Togo-flagged merchant vessel was attacked by Iranian coast guard on Saturday near the Strait of Hormuz. Now, it has emerged that 17 Indian crew are on board the vessel.
According to Mandeep Singh Randhawa, the director of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, all crew aboard the vessel are safe.
"This ship, along with a few others, was sailing in the area and the Iranian coast guard asked for the ships to be intercepted, and some warning shots were fired by them," he said.
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The Togo-flagged chemical tanker was identified as Chiron 7, owned and managed by a Honduras company. It was intercepted near Oman's Shina Port, located southeast of the Strait of Hormuz.
This comes a week after Iran seized three vessels. There were 21 Indians aboard Panama-flagged Euphoria, which is owned by a UAE company and was bound for Saudi Arabia's Jeddah.
Another Indian was aboard the Liberian-flagged Epaminondas. The Gujarat-bound cargo vessel is owned by a Greek company and was coming from Jebel Ali, Dubai.
The crew aboard these vessels are also safe, according to the Shipping Ministry.
A third vessel, MSC Francesca bearing Panama flag, also suffered "damage to the hull and accommodation" after it was targeted about six nautical miles off the coast of Iran.
This comes as Iran offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the US lifting its blockade on ships originating from and headed to Iranian ports. However, reports suggest that the Trump administration is unlikely to accept the offer.
Meanwhile, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is in Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral ties. He had last week left Islamabad after the second round of talks were called off despite efforts by Pakistan-led mediators to bridge significant gaps in negotiations.
