US attacks third merchant vessel with Indian crew; India protests to Washington

Multiple reports say the US military has struck a third merchant vessel carrying Indian crew near Oman, widening concern over shipping security in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has lodged a strong protest with Washington over the attacks, according to reporting from several outlets. The Guardian and the Financial Times said India also summoned a senior US diplomat in New Delhi after the latest strike and the earlier deadly attack on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello.

The latest vessel has not been consistently identified across all reports. The Economic Times said the ship was attacked off Oman and carried an Indian crew, describing it as the third merchant-vessel attack involving Indian seafarers in four days. Other reports focused more heavily on the casualties from the Settebello and did not clearly name the third ship.

Chronology of the strikes

The reporting points to a rapid sequence of attacks on merchant vessels in the same general area. Coverage indicates that the first vessel in the series was the Marivex, followed by the Settebello, with the third attack reported on Thursday. The incidents are being described as part of a broader escalation in maritime risk in waters off Oman.

The Settebello has drawn the most attention because of the casualties. Indian reporting said three Indian seafarers were killed in the strike on the Palau-flagged vessel, while 21 crew members were rescued. The ship was reported to have been operating in the Gulf of Oman, close to one of the world’s most sensitive shipping corridors.

The latest reports say the third vessel was also a merchant ship with Indian crew sailing off Oman. Reuters-cited reporting said the US described the targeted vessels as violating a blockade on Iranian oil exports and ignoring warnings. The Economic Times also reported that the ships had switched off AIS tracking and refused to identify themselves when contacted.

India’s protest

India’s response has become a central part of the story. Reporting from the Guardian and the Financial Times said New Delhi protested formally to the US and summoned a senior diplomat, underscoring the diplomatic sensitivity of the strikes.

That reaction reflects the stakes for India, whose seafarers make up a large share of the global merchant marine workforce and who are heavily exposed to shipping disruptions in the Gulf. Indian crews are common on commercial vessels moving through the region, which makes any attack with Indian nationals aboard a direct political and human issue for New Delhi.

The Ministry of External Affairs protest also adds pressure to India-US ties at a time when maritime security in the Gulf is already strained by the wider confrontation involving Iran and the United States. The latest reports did not indicate that the Indian government had yet published a separate written statement beyond the diplomatic protest described in reporting.

Wider shipping risk

The Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz are among the most strategically sensitive shipping routes in the world. Any attack there raises immediate concern for energy shipments, merchant traffic and crew safety.

The repeated targeting of vessels in a short span has heightened fears that more ships could be caught in the middle of the regional confrontation. Maritime operators and insurers will be watching closely for signs that the risk has widened beyond the specific vessels named in the reporting.

What remains unclear is the exact identity of the third vessel and whether all of the reports are describing each ship in precisely the same way. Some accounts refer broadly to a third merchant vessel, while others concentrate on the Settebello attack and the fatality count.

Further confirmation is likely to focus on an official MEA statement, any direct US military or CENTCOM comment, and updated information from vessel operators or maritime monitors on casualties, damage and rescue operations. For now, the strongest verified points are that a third merchant vessel carrying Indian crew was reported struck off Oman, three Indian seafarers were killed in an earlier attack, and India has formally protested to Washington.