US strikes leave three Indians dead in Gulf of Oman

Three Indian sailors, who had been reported missing, have died after the US military struck an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, an Indian federal minister announced on Thursday.

The Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello was attacked on Wednesday after the US military accused it of disobeying “orders of US forces.” There were 24 Indian crew members on board, 21 of whom were rescued.

In a post on the X network, Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called the incident "deeply unfortunate", adding that the bodies of the three sailors will be returned to India soon.

Following Wednesday's attack, the Indian government summoned the deputy chief of the US mission in New Delhi to the Foreign Ministry.

The US military has accused the ship "Settebello" of violating the US blockade by "attempting to transport oil from Iran".

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In a post on X, the US Central Command (Centcom) said that a plane hit the ship after the crew "repeatedly failed to comply with instructions given."

This is the second Indian-manned vessel to be attacked by the US this week. On Monday, US forces struck the oil tanker Marivex, also flagged by Palau and crewed by India, in the Gulf of Oman after it failed to comply with US instructions, according to Centcom.

Indian authorities have said that all 24 crew members of the Marivex have been rescued by the Omani military.

The US military has blocked access to Iranian ports after official Tehran virtually closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's oil and gas supplies were transported before the war.

According to Centcom, US forces have neutralized eight ships and diverted 134 others since the blockade began on April 13.

The Indian government has meanwhile stated that "attacks on commercial transport and civilian infrastructure in the region must stop."

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Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and the US show no signs of easing. The two countries exchanged attacks for a second day in a row on Thursday, adding to the pressure on a fragile ceasefire reached in April.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran "hard", saying that Tehran was taking too long to sign a peace deal and was "taking the Americans for fools".