Three Indian sailors killed in US strike on tanker in Gulf of Oman
The strike took place on Wednesday when the US military targeted the tanker MT Settebello, which was carrying a crew of 24 Indian nationals. Twenty-one crew members were rescued, while three were confirmed dead
Three Indian sailors were killed after the US military struck a Palau-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, prompting diplomatic protests from India and raising tensions between the two countries amid a wider regional conflict.
The strike took place on Wednesday when the US military targeted the tanker MT Settebello, which was carrying a crew of 24 Indian nationals. Twenty-one crew members were rescued, while three were confirmed dead, says the BBC.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said an aircraft fired precision munitions into the vessel's engine room. It said the tanker had "repeatedly failed" to comply with directions from American forces and was attempting to transport Iranian oil in violation of a US-imposed blockade.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
India summoned the deputy head of the US mission in New Delhi following the incident.
Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal described the strike as "deeply unfortunate" and said the bodies of the deceased sailors would be repatriated soon. The Indian government has maintained that commercial shipping should not be targeted.
The incident has also drawn criticism from maritime labour representatives.
Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI), questioned the US military's actions, saying authorities could have detained the vessel instead of carrying out a strike. He also expressed scepticism about US assertions that they were unaware of the crew's nationalities.
The MT Settebello attack was the second strike involving a vessel crewed by Indians this week.
On 8 June, US forces struck the Palau-flagged tanker The Marivex in the Gulf of Oman after it allegedly failed to comply with instructions from American forces. All 24 crew members aboard that vessel were rescued by the Omani military.
The strikes come amid a broader conflict between the United States and Iran that began on 28 February following US and Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader.
Washington imposed a blockade on 13 April after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies pass.
According to US officials, forces enforcing the blockade have disabled eight vessels and redirected 134 others since operations began.
Regional tensions have continued to rise in recent days. US President Donald Trump has threatened to hit Iran "hard", accusing Tehran of delaying a peace agreement, while Iran has launched attacks against US assets in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain.
India has not announced any additional measures beyond its diplomatic protest but has called for an end to attacks on commercial shipping in the region.
