Two Indian-flagged tankers turned back in the Strait of Hormuz after being fired upon by Iranian gunboats yesterday, as the waterway that carries one-fifth of the world's oil and gas remains at the centre of confusion in the middle of a war between the US, Israel, and Iran. No injuries were reported, and the vessels were not damaged in the firing, sources said.

A distress message from one of the tankers has now emerged, capturing the confusion that ensued during the firing. A crew member on board the crude oil tanker, Sanmar Herald, is heard trying to communicate with the Iranian navy in a roughly 30-second audio shared by Tanker Trackers, a maritime intelligence firm that tracks shipments.

"Sepah Navy. Sepah Navy. This is motor tanker Sanmar Herald. You gave me clearance to go. My name is second on your list. You are firing now. Let me turn back," the individual was heard saying.

NEW: Audio from the Indian oil tanker fired on by Iranian Navy in the Strait of Hormuz
“You gave me clearance to go. My name is second on your list. You are firing now. Let me turn back!” pic.twitter.com/C3nouIPzOJ

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) April 18, 2026

The US military is preparing to board Iran-linked oil tankers and seize commercial ships in international waters in coming days to pressure Iran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing American officials.

Two Indian-flagged vessels were fired at by Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, with sources telling NDTV that no one was injured and the vessels were not damaged.

The two ships -- Jag Arnav and Sanmar Herald -- came under direct attack, sources said.

They had to turn back after the incident northeast of Oman in the shipping lane.

One of the two vessels is a very large crude carrier (VLCC), a classification given to tankers that are massive in size and designed for long-haul crude transport.

Following the incident, New Delhi summoned the Iranian ambassador and "conveyed India's deep concern".

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that "very good conversations" were going on with Iran but warned Tehran against trying to "blackmail" the United States.

Speaking to reporters at a White House event, he accused Iran of getting "a little cute" with its recent moves, referring to Tehran reimposing restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, which usually carries a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas.

"We're talking to them. They wanted to close up the strait again -- you know, as they've been doing for years -- and they can't blackmail us," Trump said.

He said there would be "some information" about Iran later in the day, adding: "We're taking a tough stand."

He had earlier threatened "to start dropping bombs again" unless Iran reached a long-term deal before the ceasefire expires on Wednesday.

Iran has reversed its decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.

Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through the strait.

Iran has said that there has been "progress" in peace talks with the United States, but a final deal remained "far" off, with the two-week ceasefire set to end on Wednesday. 

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in a televised address on Saturday that "there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain."

"We are still far from the final discussion," said Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation during the first round of talks in Pakistan last Saturday.

He also said that Iran had been "victorious in the field" during weeks of war and had only agreed to a temporary truce with Washington because its demands had been met.

"If we accepted the ceasefire, it was because they accepted our demands," he said, referring to the United States.

Ghalibaf said the US had not achieved its goals and Iran controlled the strategic Strait of Hormuz maritime transit route.