India Summons U.S. Diplomat Over Deadly Attack On Oil Tanker Carrying Indian Crew

NEW DELHI - India's Ministry of External Affairs summoned the United States' interim chargé d'affaires in New Delhi early Thursday to lodge a formal, strong protest over a military strike that targeted the merchant oil tanker Settebello in waters off the coast of Oman, leaving three Indian seafarers missing and dozens more injured.

The incident unfolded late Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman, a critical global shipping corridor that links the Persian Gulf to international trade routes and carries roughly one-third of the world's seaborne oil supplies. U.S. naval forces launched the strike after alleging the vessel was violating long-standing American unilateral sanctions by transporting crude oil originating from Iranian ports. U.S. military officials claimed the tanker had ignored repeated radio calls to halt its voyage for inspection before targeted strikes hit the ship's engine room and cargo deck.

The Settebello's crew roster lists 24 Indian nationals working as engineers, deck officers and catering staff. Rescue vessels dispatched by Oman's coast guard arrived hours after the attack and pulled 21 surviving Indian sailors from life rafts. Three crew members remain unaccounted for, while seven survivors sustained burns and blast-related wounds requiring emergency hospital treatment in Muscat.

During the diplomatic meeting on Thursday morning, senior Indian foreign ministry officials conveyed the government's deep outrage at the loss of Indian citizens and the reckless disruption of neutral commercial shipping. The Indian side stressed that open, unimpeded navigation is a fundamental right under international maritime law, and unilateral blockades enforced through military force put innocent civilian seafarers at unnecessary risk.

"India categorically rejects any military action against civilian merchant vessels transiting international waters without clear, credible proof of illegal activity," a senior MEA official told reporters after the summons. "The safety and lives of our maritime workers are a top national priority, and we demand full transparency from the United States regarding the circumstances of this strike, alongside immediate search-and-rescue efforts for our missing crew."

Washington offered a preliminary written response acknowledging the loss of Indian personnel but stood by its decision to intercept the tanker. A State Department spokesperson stated that the U.S. military follows established protocols to minimize civilian harm during sanction enforcement operations, adding that American naval ships are coordinating with Omani authorities to aid search missions for the three missing sailors.

The attack has amplified already heightened tensions across the Middle Eastern maritime zone. Regional nations including Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have released joint statements urging all major powers to exercise maximum restraint and avoid military confrontations involving civilian cargo ships. Trade groups representing global shipping firms warned that repeated armed interceptions will push freight costs higher, delay energy deliveries and destabilize global food and fuel markets.

Maritime analysts pointed out that Indian shipping companies operate hundreds of tankers and cargo ships across the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, employing tens of thousands of Indian sailors. New Delhi has long opposed unilateral Western sanctions on Iran that interfere with neutral third-country trade, repeatedly calling for all disputes over oil shipments to be resolved through diplomatic channels rather than military force.

India's foreign ministry confirmed it will coordinate closely with Oman's government to monitor ongoing rescue work. It also plans to raise the civilian tanker attack during an upcoming UN Security Council session focused on regional maritime security, pushing for binding international rules to protect neutral merchant vessels from unilateral military strikes.

As of Thursday midday, Omani coast guard patrol boats and aircraft continue sweeping the stretch of ocean where the Settebello was attacked, with no sign yet of the three missing Indian crew members. Shipping operators have temporarily rerouted several tankers to alternate longer sea routes to avoid the high-risk Gulf of Oman zone, driving up short-term global oil freight rates by nearly 3 percent.