Three Indian sailors killed in US strike on oil tanker

Three Indian sailors who were reported missing have been killed after the US military struck a tanker in the Gulf of Oman, a federal minister has said.

The Palau-flagged MT Settebello came under attack on Wednesday after the US military accused it of not complying "with directions from American forces". There were 24 Indian crewmen on board of which 21 were rescued.

In a post on X, India's Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called the incident "deeply unfortunate", adding that the bodies of the three men would be brought back soon.

Following the strike, the Indian government had summoned the deputy head of the US mission in Delhi.

The US military had accused Settebello of violating an American blockade by "attempting to transport oil from Iran".

In a post on X, the US Central Command said an aircraft fired "precision munitions" into the engine room of the tanker "after the crew repeatedly failed" to follow directions.

This is the second vessel with Indian crew that has come under attack from the US this week. On Monday, US forces hit The Marivex, also a Palau-flagged oil tanker with an Indian crew, in the Gulf of Oman after it failed to comply with US instructions, Centcom said.

All 24 crew were rescued by the Omani military, Indian authorities said.

The US military blocked access to Iran's ports after Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which some 20% of the world's oil and gas supplies are transported, during the ongoing conflict.

US forces have disabled eight vessels and redirected 134 others since initiating the blockade on 13 April, according to Centcom.

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

Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI) had earlier told the BBC that they had begun reaching out to the families of the sailors to inform them about their deaths.

Yadav told The Economic Times newspaper that he "refused to believe" that the US lacked information regarding the nationalities of the people on board those ships.

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

Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and the US show no sign of easing. Both countries have exchanged strikes for a second consecutive day, on a fragile ceasefire arrived upon in April.