India on Wednesday reacted sharply to the Iranian strike on a Gujarat-bound Thai-flagged ship Mayuree Naree in the Strait of Hormuz, saying that New Delhi deplores the fact that commercial shipping is being targeted in the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
In a statement shared on X, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that the Thai-flagged ship was bound for Kandla in Gujarat.
He said, “India deplores the fact that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attacks in the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Precious lives, including those of Indian citizens, have already been lost in multiple such attacks in the earlier phase of this conflict, and the intensity and lethality of the attacks only seem to be increasing.”
The MEA reiterated India’s stance that freedom of navigation and commerce should not be avoided.
“India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided,” the statement added.
India’s reaction came shortly after the Thai-flagged cargo ship came under attack while sailing through the chokepoint Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.
The vessel Mayuree Naree, which the Bangkok-based Precious Shipping owns, was struck by Iran approximately 11 nautical miles off the coast of Oman, the Royal Thai Navy said in a statement.
Mayuree Naree ignored warnings, says IRGC
In a statement carried by the IRNA news agency, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said that the Thai-flagged ship, along with the Israel-owned ‘Express Room’, were fired upon after they ignored the warnings.
“Express Room” owned by Israel and flying the Liberian flag, as well as the container ship “Mayuree Naree,” were fired upon and stopped by Iranian fighters after ignoring warnings and alerts from the IRGC Navy and illegally insisting on passing through the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC said.
Iran says not a single litre of oil will be allowed to pass through the Hormuz
As the US and Israeli strikes on Iran continue, Tehran has said that it will “not allow even a single litre of oil” to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and reach the US, Israel and their partners.
“Any vessel or tanker bound to them will be a legitimate target,” a spokesman for Tehran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters said.
“Get ready for the oil barrel to be at $200 because the oil price depends on the regional security, which you have destabilised,” the spokesman added.
He further stated that Iran will now follow the policy of “strike upon strike”, moving away from the existing policy of reciprocal strikes.