India Protests to US After Strike Kills Two Sailors Near Oman

A United States military strike on a commercial tanker transiting the Gulf of Oman has killed two Indian seafarers and left a chief engineer missing, prompting India to summon Washington’s most senior diplomat in New Delhi and lodge a formal protest. The Palau-flagged MT Settebello, carrying 24 Indian crew members, was struck by precision munitions late on Tuesday after it allegedly ignored repeated instructions from US forces enforcing a blockade on Iranian-linked shipping, according to US Central Command. India’s ministry of external affairs condemned the assault, calling attacks on merchant vessels “deeply concerning” and a direct consequence of the ongoing Middle East conflict. By Wednesday afternoon, 21 crew had been rescued in coordination with Omani authorities, while search operations continued for the missing engineer.

India’s protest, delivered by additional secretary Nagaraj Naidu to US chargé d’affaires Jason Meeks, marked a sharp diplomatic escalation. New Delhi is particularly angered that the Settebello was not designated on the US Office of Foreign Assets Control blacklist, unlike a previous vessel with Indian crew targeted days earlier. In a parallel intervention at the United Nations Security Council, India’s permanent representative Harish Parvathaneni said: “We are firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping,” and urged all sides to exercise restraint as the conflict escalates during the holy month of Ramadan. The dual-track approach — a private demarche to Washington and a public call for de-escalation at the UN — reflects a tightrope New Delhi walks between its deepening strategic partnership with the US and its vulnerability to instability on vital Gulf energy routes.

From the ground, the human toll became clearer on Thursday, when the Forward Seamen’s Union of India confirmed two deaths and the continuing search for the missing chief engineer. Initial reports had cited three missing crew. Omani authorities have led rescue operations, with India’s embassy in Muscat monitoring the effort. The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil consumption passes, has been a flashpoint since the US tightened economic sanctions on Iran and began intercepting vessels suspected of carrying Iranian crude. The Settebello was laden with Iranian oil at the time, Centcom said.

Analysts in London and New Delhi note that the incident places India in an awkward position. It has sought to maintain cordial ties with both Washington and Tehran, while relying on Gulf nations for energy and remittances. The deaths of its nationals in a US strike could fuel domestic political pressure, especially if the missing engineer is not found alive. The fact that the vessel carried a full Indian crew — not an unusual arrangement in global shipping — underlines the exposure of subcontinental seafarers to the sharp end of geopolitical contests. India’s demand for accountability, phrased carefully to avoid an outright rupture, will test whether Washington offers compensation or merely explains the military rationale.