“Three Indian sailors were killed in a U.S. operation to enforce the American blockade of Iran, an Indian official said Thursday.
The blockade is part of a U.S. attempt to starve Tehran of petrodollars and force it to make a deal to end the war. American forces have targeted three oil tankers carrying Indian crew in the Gulf of Oman this week, threatening to further strain diplomatic relations between Washington and New Delhi, which summoned a U.S. diplomat in protest.
"We conveyed that the welfare of our seafaring community is very important and the attacks that are happening must stop," Randhir Jaiswal, spokesman for the Indian foreign ministry, said Thursday.
Jaiswal said that the attacks came from the U.S. Navy and that the targeted ships aren't Indian-owned.
The U.S. military fired on the Palau-flagged Settebello Wednesday after the oil tanker failed to comply with American instructions, said U.S. Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East.
The original U.S. statement in reference to the Settebello, which didn't mention the deaths, said an aircraft fired munitions into the ship's engine room. A video accompanying the statement shows a large plume of smoke rising from the ship. Centcom on Thursday reiterated the ship's crew repeatedly failed to follow directions, and said U.S. forces issued warnings before opening fire.
The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi said it was in contact with the Indian government, declining to comment further.
India's foreign ministry initially said of the 24 Indian crew on the ship, 21 had been rescued while three sailors were missing. In a post Thursday on X, Indian shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the bodies of three missing sailors have been located. Both the remains and the rescued sailors will be returned to India, he added.
On Monday, the U.S. military struck the Palau-flagged Marivex, according to U.S. Central Command and India's foreign ministry. The U.S. accused the ship of attempting to violate the blockade against Iran by trying to sail to an Iranian port.
An Indian official told reporters this week that there were communications between that ship and U.S. forces before it was fired upon. All of the Indian crew members on the Marivex were rescued, he added.
The latest tanker attack came Thursday when a U.S. aircraft attacked the Guinea-Bissau-flagged Jalveer, for allegedly trying to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman, according to U.S. Central Command and Indian officials. All 20 Indian crew members were safe.” [1]
1. World News: U.S. Airstrike on a Tanker Kills Three Indian Sailors. Li, Shan. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 12 June 2026: A6.
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