Three Indian sailors killed after US strikes tanker off coast of Oman
Three Indian sailors were killed after the United States struck a tanker off the coast of Oman, India's shipping minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, has confirmed
The announcement came this morning, bringing tragic confirmation after the crew members had initially been reported missing.
The vessel targeted was the MT Settebello, a tanker registered in Palau that was struck by US forces yesterday.
New Delhi's foreign ministry had previously said three of its citizens could not be accounted for after the incident.
They noted 21 other crew members had been successfully pulled to safety.
According to US Central Command, an American aircraft deployed precise munitions against the tanker's engine room as the ship attempted to breach Washington's naval blockade of Iranian ports whilst carrying a cargo of Iranian oil.
The military said that crew members received warnings before the strike.
This incident marks the eighth commercial vessel to be hit by American forces operating in the waters surrounding Iran.
India's foreign ministry statement regarding the missing sailors did not refer to either the US military's involvement or the ongoing enforcement of the blockade.
The tanker strike occurred against a backdrop of escalating military confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
Both nations exchanged fire for a second consecutive night.
US Central Command reported launching attacks on Iranian surveillance equipment, communications infrastructure and air defence installations.
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The strikes were confirmed in Bandar Abbas, Sirik and the Karaj region.
American military officials characterised the operations as a response to what they termed Iran's ongoing aggression.
They also denied Iranian claims a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz had been struck.
Tehran responded by directing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to target American assets across the Middle East, striking the Al Azraq facility in Jordan alongside positions in Kuwait and Bahrain, prompting both Gulf states to activate their air defences and Kuwait to close its airspace.
Before the overnight exchanges, President Donald Trump had signalled the military action was imminent, telling reporters at the White House: "We hit them hard yesterday, and we're going to hit them again hard today."
The US president subsequently claimed in a Fox News interview he had been in direct communication with Iranian officials, who had requested that he cease the attacks.
However, this assertion was swiftly contradicted by Tehran, with an Iranian official telling state media that no such discussions had occurred.
The conflicting accounts add another layer of uncertainty to an already volatile situation in the region.
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