Three Indian crew members remain missing after a commercial vessel was attacked off the coast of Oman on Wednesday, as US President Donald Trump warned that Washington would strike Iran "hard" again, raising fears of further escalation across the Gulf.
The attack on the vessel Settebello marks the second incident involving Indian seafarers in the region this week and comes amid growing concerns that commercial shipping is increasingly being caught up in the escalating confrontation between the United States and Iran.
India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said 21 of the 24 Indian crew members aboard the vessel had been rescued while three remained unaccounted for.
"We condemn the attack on the commercial vessel Settebello off the coast of Oman, earlier today," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the Indian Embassy in Muscat was coordinating closely with Omani authorities involved in the ongoing search-and-rescue operation.
India summoned Jason Meeks, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States, to protest the attack on the ship. The attack is the second involving Indian crew members in Gulf waters this week, highlighting the vulnerability of thousands of Indian seafarers working aboard merchant vessels traversing the region.
The incident occurred as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz reached a new high following US retaliatory strikes against Iranian military targets after the reported downing of an American Apache helicopter.
Speaking in Washington on Wednesday, Trump signalled further military action against Tehran, saying the United States would be hitting Iran "very hard" again, a warning that has heightened concerns of possible Iranian retaliation against US interests and allied facilities across the Gulf region.
In his Truth Social post, Trump claimed that last month, in a secret mission, he had directed US military to support oil tankers and commercial ships to move through the Strait of Hormuz and more than 100 million barrels o foil had made through the the chokepoint.
"Last month, I directed our Great US Military to execute a secret mission to support Oil Tankers and other Commercial Ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Today, I am pleased to announce that this effort has resulted in more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil making its way through the Strait, and into the Open Market.
"More than 200 Commercial Ships have safely traveled through the Strait. This wildly successful effort is because the UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz — NOT Iran. Their military is defeated, and their economy is lost. It’s over for Iran!," he said.
In an earlier post, he said: "Iran’s Military is a complete and total mess. Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, doesn’t even exist anymore - They have been completely defeated. Iran is all talk and no action. The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!! They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!"
