US strike on tanker off Oman confirmed to have killed three Indian sailors

India confirms deaths

India said three Indian sailors are dead after a U.S. strike on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello off the coast of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz.

The vessel had first been reported as hit on Wednesday, when officials and Indian seafarers' groups said three crew members were missing. Later reporting confirmed the missing men had died.

India also lodged a formal protest with the U.S. embassy in New Delhi and summoned the U.S. chargé d'affaires over the attack.

What happened on the vessel

Indian reporting said the Settebello carried 24 Indian seafarers. Authorities initially said 21 crew members were rescued, while three remained unaccounted for after the strike.

The later confirmation of the deaths turned the incident into a diplomatic issue between New Delhi and Washington, with Indian officials saying the safety of seafarers must be protected.

Wider maritime tension

The attack took place in a sensitive shipping corridor near the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, where commercial traffic has remained vulnerable to regional escalation.

Reuters-based live coverage said U.S. Central Command had previously described the Marivex and Settebello as failing to follow directions as the U.S. enforced a blockade on Iranian ports. Indian and international reports described the action as a U.S. strike on a commercial vessel.

A separate incident later reported on MT Jalveer off Oman involved 20 Indian crew members, all of whom were said to be safe. Indian authorities said they were monitoring that case as well, but it has not been clearly linked to the Settebello strike.

What to watch

Officials have not publicly detailed the full operational basis for the strike on the Settebello. It remains unclear whether the three men were recovered from the vessel or confirmed dead through authorities later in the day.

The next developments to watch are whether the U.S. issues a direct statement on the deaths, whether India follows with further diplomatic action, and whether the later MT Jalveer incident is shown to be part of the same enforcement pattern or a separate attack.