India expresses “strong protest” over the killing of three of its sailors in US strikes on oil tankers
Three Indian sailors were killed in a US strike on a merchant ship in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, according to India’s transport minister.
The US Central Command accused the ship of violating the ongoing embargo on Iranian naval vessels and related vessels, saying in a statement that the engine room of the Palau-flagged oil tanker M/T Settebello was fired after the crew “repeatedly failed to comply with instructions from US forces.”
New Delhi’s transport minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Thursday that three Indian seafarers – who had been reported missing – had died, and their bodies had been identified.
“It is very unfortunate to hear about the terrible incident that happened at MT Settebello which is honored by the flag of Palau,” he said in a statement. “This is a great loss to our maritime family.”
The dead sailors have been identified as Aditya Sharma, Shivanand Chaurasiya and Patnala Suresh. Indian news agency ANI aired a video of Chaurasiya’s father Rami breaking down in tears as he explained receiving the news of his son’s death.
CENTCOM
“We want to know the full truth about what happened,” Sharma’s grandfather told the Press Trust of India. “Our hearts are broken.”
The Indian Express reported that Aditya told his father that the ship had received two warnings from the US Navy two weeks before the strike.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attacks on ships in a statement on Wednesday, saying “the continuing incidents of attacks on ships in the region are of grave concern.”
“The concentration of commercial vessels and human infrastructure in the region must end,” the ministry said.
On Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian government had summoned a US official to register a “strong protest,” adding that India expected the US to be “vigilant.”
The Settebello was one of at least three ships hit by US strikes in the Gulf of Oman this week. On Thursday, CENTOM said it had disabled the Guinea-Bissau-flagged M/T Jalveer “for attempting to transport Iranian oil.”
The US military fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room “after the crew repeatedly failed to follow instructions,” according to a statement posted by CENTCOM on social media.
On Monday, CENTCOM said it disabled the Palau-flagged, US-sanctioned M/T Marivex because it was “trying to go to an Iranian port”.
A video sent to CBS News by a crew member on the ship appeared to show smoke coming from the ship, and another ship was seen nearby.
At least nine ships have been disabled for non-compliance by US forces since the sanctions against Iran began on April 13, according to CENTCOM. On Wednesday, President Trump insisted that the sanctions were serving the intended purpose of putting pressure on the Iranian government.
“The Fake News Media refuses to report how EFFECTIVE the US Naval BLOCKADE is, the most successful Blockade in the history of Naval Warfare. NOTHING IS EFFECTIVE unless we demand it,” Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post. “Iran does ZERO business, doesn’t pay its military, or any of its debts, and is quickly becoming an INVINCIBLE NATION! More oil is flowing out. Praise be to Allah!”
Arshad Zargar contributed to this report
