Disabled oil tanker received dozens of warnings before US opened fire

A U.S. official told the Associated Press that the disabled tanker M/T Settebello ignored nearly 60 verbal warnings before U.S. forces opened fire in the Gulf of Oman, adding a new layer of detail to an incident that has already rattled shipping security in the Strait of Hormuz.

The AP report, published June 14, said the ship also ignored eight military aircraft shows of force, including flares and flyovers, along with two final warnings before precision munitions were fired into the engine room. CENTCOM had earlier said the crew was given 15 minutes to leave the engine room before the strike.

Indian officials said three Indian sailors were killed. The vessel was flagged in Palau, and the U.S. official described it as part of a shadow fleet used to move Iranian oil and evade sanctions.

What the U.S. account says happened

The new AP reporting sharpens the chronology around a strike that had already drawn global attention because it took place in a major commercial waterway and left foreign mariners dead. According to the U.S. official quoted by AP, the tanker did not respond to repeated radio warnings, military flyovers and other efforts to force compliance before the strike.

That account goes beyond the earlier public U.S. statement, which said only that aircraft fired precision munitions into the ship's engine room after the vessel failed to comply. AP's report said the tanker was disabled in the Gulf of Oman when the warnings escalated into direct fire.

Indian response and diplomatic fallout

The deaths of three Indian sailors turned the strike into a diplomatic issue for New Delhi. India's foreign ministry said it lodged a strong protest with the United States after the attack.

The State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio told his Indian counterpart that commercial vessels should immediately comply with orders from U.S. forces in the Strait of Hormuz. That call underlines Washington's effort to enforce restrictions tied to Iranian oil shipping even as the episode raises questions about how maritime warnings are delivered and understood in a military enforcement zone.

The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal separately reported that the Settebello was targeted after failing to comply with U.S. instructions and later confirmed that three Indian crew members died. The Guardian identified the sailors as Patnala Suresh, Aditya Sharma and Shivanand Chaurashiya.

Why the incident matters

The attack has implications well beyond one tanker. The Strait of Hormuz and nearby Gulf of Oman remain among the world's most sensitive shipping corridors, and any exchange between naval forces and merchant crews can quickly affect commercial traffic.

The U.S. official's description of the vessel as part of a shadow fleet also places the strike inside the broader sanctions fight over Iranian oil. That raises the stakes for shipowners, crews and governments trying to navigate a corridor where enforcement, neutrality claims and maritime safety can collide.

Times of India reported that India also issued a fresh advisory restricting deployment of seafarers to conflict zones after the deaths. The report suggests the fallout is already affecting how Indian crews are assigned to risky routes.

What to watch next

Open questions remain about the tanker's route, cargo and ownership chain, and whether a fuller CENTCOM statement or transcript of the Rubio call will be released. It is also unclear whether India will seek a formal inquiry or compensation.

Further reaction from shipping groups or other governments could shape whether the strike becomes a one-off enforcement episode or part of a wider escalation in the Strait of Hormuz.