India raises concerns with US after strike on tanker near Oman coast

India has summoned the US charge d'affaires for the second time in less than 48 hours after a US military strike on the tanker MT Jalveer near the Oman coast. The vessel was described as the third commercial ship disabled in the area in four days, amid heightened concern over the safety of Indian seafarers transiting the Strait of Hormuz. All 22 Indian crew members on board MT Jalveer were evacuated safely to shore.

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The summoning took place on Friday afternoon, when the Ministry of External Affairs' additional secretary for the Americas, Nagaraj Naidu, called in US diplomat Jason Meeks. India said the meeting was used to convey concern about the safety and security of Indians on ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. The latest démarche followed an earlier summoning on Wednesday, after another attack on a commercial ship off the coast of Oman.

The Indian Embassy in Muscat said the evacuation of the MT Jalveer crew to Shinas port was coordinated with assistance from the Royal Navy of Oman. The earlier tanker, MT Settebello, had 24 Indian seafarers on board, of whom 21 were rescued and three were killed. The attack on MT Jalveer came on the same day that Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed the deaths of the three missing seafarers from MT Settebello.

The incident matters because it adds to a fast-moving maritime security crisis in one of the world's most sensitive shipping routes. The Strait of Hormuz links the Gulf of Oman with the wider Gulf and is used by commercial vessels carrying oil and other cargo. Any disruption there can quickly affect shipping safety, insurance costs and diplomatic relations, especially when foreign military action is involved.

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According to the US Central Command, MT Jalveer had attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman. It said a US aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship's engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces. The command also said the tanker was disabled after violating a blockade against Iran, and described MT Jalveer as the third commercial ship disabled by American forces that week.

The same statement said earlier US aircraft had disabled the Palau-flagged vessels MT Marivex and MT Settebello on Monday and Tuesday. In those cases, the command said the ships had attempted to transport Iranian oil or sail to an Iranian port. The sequence of incidents has now drawn India directly into the dispute because of the number of Indian nationals affected and the deaths reported on MT Settebello.

What remains unclear is whether further ships in the area may be targeted and how long the disruption to transit through the Strait of Hormuz will continue. It is also not clear whether India will take any further diplomatic steps beyond the summons already issued. The immediate focus is on the condition of shipping crews, the safety of vessels still in the area, and whether the pattern of attacks will continue.

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