There were no casualties on the two Indian crude oil ships that came under fire by the Iranian navy, officials confirmed on Sunday, even as they said that the glass of one of the cabins on the ships was shattered in the incident.
Indian authorities have made it clear to Tehran that there will be consequences to such an act.
The incident of the firing on the two Indian ships – Jag Arnav and Sanmar Herald – comes even as the Iranian warship IRIS Lavan, which sought refuge from India, remains docked at the Kochi port.
About 120 of the 183 crew members of the Iranian ship have already been repatriated, even as some essential crew members stay back to maintain the warship at the Kerala port.
The Iranian ship sought refuge from India after another warship, IRIS Dena, was torpedoed and sunk by a US submarine near Sri Lanka on March 4.
India is among the countries with the highest number of vessels passing through the Strait, reflecting its dependence on energy imports from the Gulf region.
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the world's most vital oil transit corridors, through which 20% share of global crude shipments pass.
