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 from a seafarer on Friday.
In one recording, a caller identified by the seafarer as a U.S. 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.
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. U.S. forces have recently resumed the naval blockade against vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas.
Vessel with 30 crew reports attack near Strait of Hormuz, seeks assistance
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on Friday on the sidelines of the Meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States in Kyrgyzstan.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that in May this year, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon paid a successful state visit to China.
The most important outcome of the visit was the signing of the China-Tajikistan Treaty on Permanent Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, which set a precedent in Central Asia, Wang said.
The two sides also issued the Joint Statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Tajikistan on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership in the New Era, demonstrating their determination to jointly promote the building of a China-Tajikistan community with a shared future, Wang said.
The common task of the foreign ministries of the two countries is to translate the consensus reached by the two heads of state into concrete actions, make plans for exchanges at various levels, and promote deeper and more substantive cooperation in areas including energy, connectivity and counterterrorism and security, so as to deliver more cooperation outcomes benefiting the people of both countries, Wang said.
Muhriddin said Rahmon's visit to China this year was a great success and yielded fruitful results, further consolidating high-level mutual trust, and opening a new chapter in bilateral relations.
China has become Tajikistan's largest trade and economic partner, he said, adding that Tajikistan is confident in the prospects of bilateral cooperation.
Tajikistan is willing to work with China to fully implement the consensuses reached during Rahmon's visit, strengthen practical cooperation in areas including energy, jointly combat terrorism, and elevate the Tajikistan-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era to a higher level, Muhriddin said.
Chinese FM meets Tajik counterpart
