Indian tankers turn back in Hormuz

Two Indian-flagged vessels, the VLCC Supertanker SANMAR HERALD and the bulk carrier JAG ARNAV, made sudden U-turns near the southern approaches to the Strait of Hormuz and headed back westward into the Persian Gulf. The SANMAR HERALD was loaded with approximately 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude oil from Al Basrah Anchorage. This incident follows earlier reports of Iranian gunboats firing on Indian-owned commercial vessels in the strait, forcing them to turn back. The pattern suggests continued Iranian pressure and control over shipping in the critical waterway.