Indian sailors killed as US enforces Iran blockade near Hormuz
India has protested after US strikes on commercial vessels near Oman killed three Indian sailors and left crews fearful in Gulf waters.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
4 min read
Three Indian sailors were killed this week in US strikes on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported, putting merchant crews at risk even as Washington and Tehran discuss extending a ceasefire. The deaths have drawn a formal protest from India and added strain to relations between New Delhi and Washington.
India summoned Jason Meeks, the US Embassy’s deputy chief of mission in New Delhi, on Wednesday to raise its concerns, according to India’s Foreign Ministry. The move followed a US attack on the Palau-flagged MT Settebello off Oman that killed three Indian crew members, India’s shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said.
US Central Command said the Settebello had breached the US blockade of Iranian ports. The other 21 Indian sailors aboard were rescued, according to Al Jazeera.
Three ships hit in four days
The Settebello was the second vessel with Indian crew attacked by US forces this week, Al Jazeera reported. A day earlier, the US struck the Palau-flagged Marivex, which had 24 Indian sailors on board.
Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India, told Al Jazeera that he received distress messages from the Marivex crew saying the ship was on fire, taking water and had been hit in the engine room. Oman’s military rescued the crew and took them to an island off the Omani coast, according to Al Jazeera.
US Central Command later said an F-18 Super Hornet from the USS Abraham Lincoln used a precision weapon against the ship’s engineering and steering areas to stop the sanctioned vessel.
On Thursday, US Central Command said its forces had also “disabled” a third tanker in the Gulf of Oman, saying the vessel tried to carry Iranian oil in violation of the blockade. India’s embassy in Oman said it was looking into another incident near Shinas port, and Yadav identified the vessel as MT Jalveer, with 20 Indian crew members aboard.
India calls for attacks to stop
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Thursday that three ships with Indian crews had been attacked by the US during the week. He called for the attacks to stop and urged a return to diplomacy, according to Al Jazeera.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei condemned the US attacks, calling them evidence of “armed robbery and State piracy.” Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, said any action that endangers seafarers or international shipping is unacceptable.
Al Jazeera reported that Indian sailors have faced repeated danger around Hormuz since the US-Israel war on Iran began. At least seven Indian sailors have been killed during the war, including the three deaths reported this week.
India previously summoned Iran’s ambassador after two Indian vessels were hit in the Strait of Hormuz on April 18, according to Al Jazeera. Earlier incidents included deaths aboard the Marshall Islands-flagged MKD Vyom and the Palau-flagged Skylight near Oman.
Legal questions over blockade enforcement
The Strait of Hormuz runs through the territorial waters of Oman and Iran, with its outer edges reaching waters near the United Arab Emirates, Al Jazeera reported. International rules on transit passage apply to straits used by global shipping under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Jason Chuah, a maritime law professor at City St George’s, University of London, told Al Jazeera that the killing of Indian sailors on a Palau-flagged ship could create serious diplomatic problems. He said neutral vessels flying non-belligerent flags have a strong case for greater protection during a blockade.
Chuah said the legality of the US strikes depends partly on proportionality under the laws of war. He told Al Jazeera that firing on a tanker and killing crew members could be argued to go beyond what is proportionate.
India’s Directorate General of Shipping says more than 300,000 Indian seafarers work on global fleets. Yadav told Al Jazeera that the latest attacks have left Indian crews in Gulf waters frightened and exposed.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.