Lead

Three Indian sailors were killed when the US military struck a tanker in the Gulf of Oman, according to Indian officials and US Central Command (CENTCOM). The vessel, the Palau-flagged MT Settebello, was hit on Wednesday after the US accused it of violating an American blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran. The attack has prompted India to summon a senior US diplomat to protest, with officials describing the loss as "deeply unfortunate."

Coverage Comparison

Across multiple reports, the details of the strike on MT Settebello are consistent: US forces fired "precision munitions" into the engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions, as stated by CENTCOM. The vessel carried 24 Indian crew members, 21 of whom were rescued, with three losing their lives. Two other vessels with Indian crew were also attacked in the same week, according to several sources.

Reports vary on the exact number of ships disabled since the blockade began. One account from The Guardian says the US military has disabled “the sixth ship” since its blockade began on 13 April, while a BBC report cites CENTCOM as saying eight vessels have been disabled and 134 redirected. The discrepancy may reflect the time of reporting or definitions of what constitutes disabled versus redirected.

Attribution also differs on the flag of the tanker. Most sources refer to MT Settebello as Palau-flagged, but a BBC report describes a strike on a “Botswana-flagged” vessel, the M/T Lexie, which appears to be a separate incident. The Guardian also names the M/T Lexie as the vessel hit with a Hellfire missile on Tuesday, noting it was unladen and ignored repeated warnings over 24 hours. This suggests there were multiple similar strikes, though the details of which ship was hit on which day are not entirely consistent across reports.

Key Claims

  • Three Indian sailors were killed in a US military strike on the tanker MT Settebello, as confirmed by Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The bodies were located and identified, and the minister said they would be repatriated.
  • The US military said it fired "precision munitions" into the engine room of the tanker after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions, according to CENTCOM statements quoted by several sources.
  • The attack was the second in three days on a ship carrying Indian crew, with the MT Marivex also hit earlier in the week, according to Al Jazeera and others.
  • A third vessel, MV Jalveer, was also attacked under similar circumstances near Oman, as reported by The Hindu. The Indian Embassy in Oman said it was investigating the incident.
  • The Indian government summoned a senior US diplomat — either the deputy head of mission or charge d'affaires, depending on the report — to lodge a "strong protest" over the attacks, as reported by Deutsche Welle, France 24, and The Hindu.
  • India's Foreign Ministry called for an end to the "targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region," according to a statement quoted by Deutsche Welle.
  • US President Donald Trump accused Iran of carrying out drone attacks against Indian ships, a claim Iran rejected as "baseless" via its embassy in India, as reported by The Hindu.
  • The US military has been enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports since 13 April, with varying numbers of ships disabled and redirected reported by different sources.