India protests U.S. strikes on Indian-crewed tankers, calls for immediate de-escalation
India has urged the United States to stop its military actions against commercial vessels after a series of strikes on Indian-crewed tankers this week, one of which resulted in the deaths of three Indian sailors.
The fatalities are the first reported since the United States began enforcing a blockade targeting Iran-linked maritime trade on April 13. According to available reports, U.S. forces have intercepted, disabled, or turned back numerous vessels during the operation.
Addressing the media, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal expressed India’s concern over the incidents and called for an end to attacks on shipping. He also stressed the need for diplomatic engagement and dialogue to restore peace and stability in the region at the earliest.
Jaiswal said that three vessels with Indian crew members had been targeted by U.S. forces during the week, including a strike reported on Thursday. He added that India had summoned the U.S. chargé d’affaires in New Delhi a day earlier to formally convey its serious concerns regarding the attacks.
The diplomatic protest followed an incident involving the tanker Settebello near the coast of Oman, where three Indian sailors lost their lives.
In response, the U.S. Central Command stated that an American aircraft had carried out a precision strike on the vessel’s engine room after the crew allegedly failed to comply with instructions issued by U.S. forces. The U.S. military further claimed that the tanker was attempting to transport Iranian oil in violation of the ongoing blockade.
However, the vessel’s manager, IOS Marine FZE, disputed those allegations, maintaining that the ship neither ignored warnings nor carried Iranian crude oil. The company has called for an independent and transparent international investigation to establish the facts surrounding the incident.
The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi had not issued an official response at the time of reporting.