US Strikes Non-Compliant Iranian Oil Tanker Off Oman, Killing Three Indian Sailors
An American aircraft disabled the Palau-flagged Settebello in the Gulf of Oman after its crew ignored repeated instructions. Three Indian sailors died and three others remain missing.
news18.comAn American aircraft fired precision munitions into the engine room of the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces, according to US Central Command. Three Indian sailors were killed and three others are missing, India's shipping minister and government said. Twenty-one crew members were rescued.
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India's government summoned the deputy head of the US mission in Delhi after the strike. The Settebello was the second Palau-flagged tanker with an Indian crew hit by US forces this week. Earlier, the Marivex was fired on in the same waters after it failed to comply with US instructions; all 24 crew were rescued by the Omani military.
US Central Command said the Settebello was attempting to transport oil from Iran in violation of an American blockade. The command posted footage of the strike on the vessel's engine room. US forces have disabled eight vessels and redirected 134 others since the blockade began on 13 April, Centcom said.
The blockade followed Tehran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which some 20% of the world's oil and gas supplies pass. India's government said the targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end.
On Wednesday President Donald Trump said the United States would hit Iran hard, stating that Tehran was taking too long to sign a peace deal and was playing Americans for suckers.
The remarks followed a series of strikes after an American helicopter was downed on Monday. Iran accused the United States of violating a ceasefire. The war began on 28 February after US and Israeli strikes on Iran killed the country's supreme leader.
