Three Indian sailors died in a US military strike on a tanker off Oman as part of Washington’s efforts to blockade Iran-linked shipping, India said on Thursday, after summoning a US diplomat to demand an end to such attacks.
The deaths are the first reported since the blockade began on 13 April, operations which have seen the US disable eight ships and turn back more than 100 others.
The US Navy has attacked three ships with Indian crews this week, including one on Thursday, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters.
“These attacks must cease and end,” he said. “We also call for dialogue and diplomacy so that we can have an early return to peace and stability in the region.”
Jaiswal said the ministry had summoned the US chargé d’affaires in New Delhi on Wednesday to convey its “deepest concerns over the ongoing attacks” after a strike on the tanker Settebello off Oman in which three Indian sailors died.
The US embassy did not respond to requests for immediate comment.
The US military’s Central Command said a US aircraft had carried out a precision strike on the Settebello’s engine room “after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces”.
It said the Settebello “violated the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran”.
Omani Navy rescued 21 crew
The Omani Navy responded to the Settebello’s distress call after it reported an engine fire and 21 Indian sailors were rescued.Family members of Shivanand Chaurasia, one of the sailors who died, told reporters he had gone to sea about nine months ago and had told his father earlier this week that everything was fine.
Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the deaths of the three sailors was a “profound loss to our maritime family”.
India has more than 300,000 sailors working in global shipping fleets, according to government data.
