- Three Indian sailors killed in U.S. strikes in Strait of Hormuz.
- U.S. military said it was enforcing blockade.
- Indian government calls for end to attacks.
THE DEATHS OF three Indian sailors in U.S. strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuz have reignited tensions between the two countries. The sailors were serving on commercial vessels that the U.S. military said were violating its blockade of Iranian ports.
The attacks occurred over the past week and involved three vessels carrying Indian merchant navy men, according to Al-Jazeera. The three killed sailors were on the Palau-flagged Settebello. Also attacked on different days this past week were the Palau-flagged Marivex and the MT Jalveer.
A crewmember on the Marivex sent out a call for help, Al-Jazeera reported.
“We have fire on board, we have fire on board. And vessel is sinking,” a crew member said in the message. “U.S. Navy attack, the missile on our engine room. We have hole at the bottom … 24 crew. All crew Indian. Please help quickly.”
Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India, said he received the message. U.S. Central Command confirmed the attacks.
“A U.S. aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from U.S. forces,” CENTCOM said regarding the attack on the Jalveer. “Earlier this week, U.S. aircraft disabled Palau-flagged vessels M/T Marivex and M/T Settebello on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Marivex violated the blockade by attempting to sail to an Iranian port and Settebello attempted to transport Iranian oil.”
Yadav told Al-Jazeera that the U.S. military could have taken control of the ships rather than firing missiles at them.
“They are not warships; they are commercial ships,” he said. “But the US military is not firing a warning shot; they are shooting a bloody missile that will definitely destroy ships and kill the sailors.”
Indian government responds
The Indian government on Wednesday summoned Jason Meeks, the US embassy’s deputy chief of mission, to convey its “deepest concerns over the ongoing attacks,” according to Al-Jazeera.
“It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello,” Sarbananda Sonowal, India’s shipping minister, said in a statement.
Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the attacks must end, according to Al-Jazeera. He also called for dialogue to resume to restore peace to the region. On Friday, Iranian officials said a deal to end the war “has never been closer,” according to USA Today.
Trump seemed to implicate that Iran had launched drone strikes against Indian ships in the strait, calling that “totally unacceptable,” according to The Times of India. However, he did not address the deaths of the three Indian sailors.
Last year, the relationship between the U.S. and India was severely tested when Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on Indian imports as punishment for India’s purchases of Russian oil. Trump later reduced the tariff to 18 percent after the two sides made a new trade agreement.
