By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
Tensions between New Delhi and Washington escalated sharply after a U.S. military strike on a commercial oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman killed three Indian sailors. The three victims were initially reported missing before being confirmed dead by authorities. The deadly engagement marks a severe friction point between the two partners amid an intensifying regional war.
The Palau-flagged MT Settebello came under attack on Wednesday after the U.S. military accused it of not complying “with directions from American forces.” There were 24 Indian crewmen on board, of whom 21 were successfully rescued.
Following the strike, the Indian government summoned the deputy head of the U.S. mission in Delhi to lodge a formal protest.
The Fatal Engagement in the Gulf
U.S. Central Command confirmed that an American aircraft targeted the vessel directly during the encounter. 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. U.S. military officials stated the tanker was operating in violation of maritime restrictions, accusing the Settebello of violating an American blockade by “attempting to transport oil from Iran.”
In the wake of the fatalities, India’s maritime leadership expressed profound regret over the loss of life. 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.
Maritime Labor Leaders Demand Accountability
The incident has triggered fierce condemnation from Indian seafaring unions, who question the necessity of lethal force against commercial crews. Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) had earlier told the media that they had begun reaching out to the families of the sailors to inform them about their deaths.
Union leadership challenged the American narrative, arguing that non-lethal interdiction methods should have been utilized to secure the vessel. 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. Furthermore, he questioned the tactical escalation, asserting that “if the ships failed to heed their instructions, detaining them was a viable alternative,” he said.
A Pattern of Escalation against Commercial Shipping
This fatal strike represents the second time within a single week that a vessel manned by an Indian crew has come under attack from the U.S. military. 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 members from that vessel were rescued safely by the Omani military, Indian authorities said.
Naval instability in the region appears to be widening further. On Thursday, the Indian Embassy in Oman said it had learnt of another “incident” involving a vessel off Shinas port of Oman but didn’t specify if there were Indian crew on board or about the nature of the issue.
In response to the recurring hazards faced by civilian mariners, New Delhi has repeatedly called for restraint from all warring parties. The Indian government has maintained that “targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end.”
The Enforcement of the Iranian Blockade
The lethal strikes are part of a broader, highly restrictive maritime strategy deployed by Washington to choke off Tehran’s economic lifelines. The U.S. 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.
The enforcement campaign has systematically neutralized or disrupted numerous vessels attempting to transit the restricted waters. U.S. forces have disabled eight vessels and redirected 134 others since initiating the blockade on 13 April, according to Centcom.
Geopolitical Friction and a Crumbling Ceasefire
The maritime deaths occur against a backdrop of collapsing diplomatic efforts and renewed bilateral violence. Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and the US show no sign of easing. Both countries have exchanged strikes for a second consecutive day, putting more strain on a fragile ceasefire arrived upon in April.
Rhetoric from the White House has sharpened as the diplomatic impasse continues. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump had threatened to hit Iran “hard”, saying it was taking too long to sign a peace deal and was playing Americans “for suckers.”
The current regional war began on 28 February, after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran that killed the country’s supreme leader. Iran responded by launching attacks on Israel and U.S.-allied states in the Gulf. The fighting escalated quickly across the region, with Lebanon drawn into the conflict in March, leaving international civilian workers increasingly caught in the crossfire.
As the conflict expands, the multi-nation crisis underscores the growing peril facing civilian seafarers navigating global trade corridors. Washington faces the complex challenge of enforcing its wartime blockade without alienating key international allies, while New Delhi must balance its critical strategic partnership with the United States against its absolute mandate to protect its citizens abroad.
