New Delhi, April 22: India on Wednesday denied making any payments – either in cash or cryptocurrency – to Iran to secure safe passage for its vessels through the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions in the region.
The clarification came after two Indian vessels had to turn back from the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian forces fired upon them as they attempted to cross the crucial waterway on April 18. Before turning back, the captain of Indian tanker Sanmar Herald, in an audio recording that has surfaced, is heard pleading with Iranian forces to stop firing despite prior clearance to pass the Strait of Hormuz. “This is motor vessel, Sanmar Herald. You gave me clearance to go, my name is second on your list… You are firing now. Let me turn back.” While New Delhi has consistently rejected claims of any financial arrangements with Tehran for ship movement through the critical energy corridors, some reports linked the April 18 incident to a crypto scam.
Reports suggest scammers are offering shipowners fake safe passage through the strait in exchange for crypto. At least one ship fell victim to the scam and was fired at while attempting to pass through the waterway, according to Marisk, a maritime risk services company.
At a news briefing, Mukesh Mangal, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, termed as “fake news” the report of any payment being made for the safe passage of Sanmar Herald.
“News is spreading about a reported payment by the captain of the vessel Sanmar Herald in US dollar to persons claiming to represent the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy to grant passage, and fell victim to cyber criminals. We spoke with the owner of the vessel, and he confirmed that it is fake news and no such incident had happened,” he said.
He said his ministry, in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, assesses the situation before asking Indian vessels, stranded in the Persian Gulf since the start of the Iran war, to cross the Strait of Hormuz. (PTI)
