India has strongly protested to Iran after attacks on two UAE-linked merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz killed one Indian seafarer and injured 10 others. According to Business Standard, MEA Joint Secretary Anand Prakash lodged a strong protest with the deputy chief of mission of the Embassy of Iran, Mohammed Javed Hosseini, in New Delhi during a 10-minute meeting on Tuesday morning. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that India's deepest concern over the attacks was conveyed to the Iranian diplomat, and he was told that these attacks must stop at the earliest. The MEA 'strongly condemned the attacks and acts of violence targeting seafarers and disrupting free and safe navigation through international waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz' and called for an immediate cessation of violence.
Seven Indian-flagged vessels with around 148 seafarers remain in the Persian Gulf as rising US-Iran tensions discourage ships from leaving the region, according to a government official. As many as seven Indian-flagged vessels were on the western side of the Strait of Hormuz before the start of the latest military escalation between the US and Iran, the official told PTI. Just like the early part of the West Asia conflict, these vessels are unlikely to sail out of the Persian Gulf before de-escalation of tensions, he said. The official confirmed that five Indian-flagged vessels are engaged in commercial activities in the region, with the remaining two vessels also maintaining their positions in the Gulf.
The attacks resulted in one Indian seafarer killed and ten injured, including two seriously, according to the MEA's first detailed reaction to the incident. The vessels, MT Al Bahiyah and MT Mombasa, had a combined crew of 46, including 30 Indian nationals. MT Al Bahiyah was carrying 12 Indian nationals, with one losing his life and another sustaining injuries. MT Mombasa had 18 Indian nationals on board, with nine injured, two of whom were reported to be seriously hurt. The latest official confirmation reveals that MT Al Bahyah had a total of 23 crew members comprising 12 Indians, 6 Filipinos, 3 Russians, 1 Egyptian, and 1 Sri Lankan. MT Mombasa B also had 23 crew members comprising 17 Indians, 3 Ukrainians, and 3 Georgians. The MEA extended its condolences to the family of the deceased Indian national and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. The Indian mission and post in the United Arab Emirates were closely monitoring developments and coordinating with UAE authorities to ensure all possible assistance to the affected seafarers.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has defended its strikes on UAE-flagged oil tankers, contradicting the UAE's official account of the incident. According to Fars News Agency, a semi-official Iranian outlet with close ties to the IRGC, the two UAE-flagged tankers were hit and disabled after straying into a minefield rather than being targeted by Iranian cruise missiles. The IRGC statement claimed that the vessels, Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, had switched off their navigation systems and ignored repeated warnings from the Strait of Hormuz Security Control Centre before choosing to pass through a minefield. The IRGC accused Washington of attempting to 'provoke and guide' vessels through the route, describing the US as 'the American child-killing army' that had 'not learned from its repeated failures'.
Iran has escalated its attacks on Gulf shipping with two Iranian cruise missiles striking two UAE-flagged oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to the UAE Ministry of Defence. The Mombasa and Al Bahiyah tankers were hit while transiting the strait's southern shipping lane, within Omani territorial waters, resulting in one Indian crew member killed and eight others injured. Of the eight injured, six are Indian nationals and two are Ukrainian, with four of them in serious condition. The attacks caused fires to break out on both vessels but have since been brought under control, causing material damage to the ships. The latest escalation comes two days after an Iranian attack on the Cyprus-flagged container ship GFS Galaxy left an Indian crew member missing, raising questions over the fragile peace deal finalised between the US and Iran in June. Several attacks on commercial shipping in recent days have shattered the mid-June interim peace pact between the US and Iran.
According to Indian government sources cited by Business Standard, 16 Indian nationals, mostly sailors, have been killed or are missing in the Gulf region since the beginning of the conflict in West Asia on February 28. Of the 16, three Indian nationals are missing. Sources said the loss of Indian lives is one of the highest for any country other than Iran during the conflict in West Asia. India has the second-highest number of seafarers in the world. The MEA has previously summoned the US chargé d'affaires in New Delhi, Jason Meeks, twice in the space of 48 hours on June 10 and 12, after at least three ships with Indian seafarers were attacked by the US military, killing one Indian. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flagged the attacks on commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf when he met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in France on June 17. The MEA reiterated its call for 'safe and unimpeded navigation and the flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz' and emphasised that 'the targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must cease so that free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through international waterways in the region, in keeping with international law, can be restored at the earliest'.
