India protests against the US after sailors die in attack

According to India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country summoned the US chargé d’affaires in New Delhi to express a “strong protest” against the attack on the vessel. The Palau-flagged ship had 24 Indian crew members on board.

According to the Indian government, 21 sailors were rescued after the attack, while three were initially reported missing. Later, India’s Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed that the three crew members had died.

In a publication on X, Sonowal classified the episode as a “profound loss” for the Indian maritime community and stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will provide support to the families of the victims. The minister also said he had ordered the immediate repatriation of survivors and the return of the bodies for funeral rites.

The company IOS Marine FZE, manager of the MT Settebello, publicly held the United States Navy responsible for the episode and called for a transparent and independent investigation into the case. According to the company, the circumstances of the attack have not yet been adequately explained.

The manager also denied that the tanker had links to Iran or was transporting Iranian oil. According to the company, the MT Settebello was a civil vessel engaged in legal commercial activity and should have been treated as a merchant vessel in international waters.

The United States Central Command (Centcom) stated this Wednesday (10) that its forces struck the ship after the crew failed to comply with American instructions. According to the military body, the vessel had been targeted for violating the blockade imposed by the US against Iranian ports.