Vessel with 30-member crew reports attack near Strait of Hormuz, seeks assistance

London, July 24
A vessel carrying 30 crew members reported coming under attack and issued a distress call near the Strait of Hormuz, according to audio recordings from a public VHF maritime radio channel obtained exclusively by Xinhua from a seafarer on Friday.

In one recording, a caller identified by the seafarer as a US military operator repeatedly warned a merchant vessel that it was "non-compliant" for continuing toward Iranian waters.

"You are non-compliant by continuing towards Iran. You have been warned several times. I am preparing to fire at your engine room," the caller said, adding that the crew had 15 minutes to clear the engine room, Xinhua News Agency reported.

A later recording captured a vessel identifying itself as Disha reporting that it had come under attack.

"This is Disha. We are attacked by unknown missiles. We require immediate assistance. We have 30 crew on board. We require immediate assistance," the caller said, reporting the vessel's position near the eastern entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

The incident came amid heightened tensions in the region, with maritime traffic around the Strait of Hormuz facing security risks. US forces have recently resumed the naval blockade against vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas.

On Thursday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that it had stopped three oil tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of which caught fire after an explosion.

"Three oil tankers, provoked and tempted by the child-killing American army, were trying to pass through the mine-laid route south of the Strait of Hormuz, but after one of them exploded and caught fire, the other two quickly turned around and turned back," the IRGC said in a statement quoted by Iranian state media, warning that any ship "deceived" by the United States and intends to pass without Iran's consent "will suffer the same fate."