Three Indian Sailors Killed In U.S. Strike On Oil Tanker

Three Indian sailors have been killed after the United States military struck an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, in an incident that has drawn a sharp diplomatic response from New Delhi.

India’s Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed the deaths on Thursday, calling the incident “deeply unfortunate” and saying the bodies of the three men would be brought back to India soon.

The Indian government had earlier summoned the deputy head of the U.S. mission in Delhi following the strike.

The Palau-flagged MT Settebello came under attack on Wednesday after the U.S. Central Command accused the vessel of violating an American blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran.

There were 24 Indian crewmen on board, of whom 21 were rescued and three reported missing. The three missing sailors have since been confirmed dead.

In a post on X, CENTCOM said an aircraft fired “precision munitions” into the engine room of the tanker “after the crew repeatedly failed” to follow directions from American forces.

The incident is the second attack on a vessel carrying Indian crew this week.

On Monday, U.S. forces struck the Marivex, also a Palau-flagged oil tanker with an Indian crew, in the Gulf of Oman after it similarly failed to comply with US instructions.

All 24 crew members on that vessel were rescued by the Omani military.

Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India, said he “refused to believe” that the U.S. lacked information regarding the nationalities of the people on board the ships.

“If the ships failed to heed their instructions, detaining them was a viable alternative,” he said.

The Indian government has maintained that “targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end.”

The U.S. military initiated the blockade on 13 April after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas supplies are transported.

U.S. forces have disabled eight vessels and redirected 134 others since the blockade began, according to CENTCOM.

Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and the U.S. show no sign of easing, with both countries exchanging strikes for a second consecutive day, putting further strain on a fragile ceasefire reached in April.