New Delhi: India Wednesday summoned the top US Charge d’Affaires Jason Meeks over the missile strike at a Palau-flagged tanker earlier in the day.
India lodged a strong protest over the strike as three Indian seafarers remain missing, while 21 mariners were rescued by the Omani Navy. The Settebello, a Palau-flagged tanker, was hit off the coast of Oman, and issued a distress call in the afternoon.
The CENTCOM said Wednesday U.S. forces “disabled” the oil tanker. “U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) disabled Palau-flagged M/T Settebello as it transited the Gulf of Oman. A U.S. aircraft fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces.”
The engine room caught fire. The ship reported that one crew member was killed, while two remain missing. The Omani Navy assisted in evacuating the vessel.
India later in the day strongly “condemned” the missile strike, adding that the Indian Embassy in Oman is coordinating with local authorities over the evacuation of the sailors.
“We condemn the attack on the commercial vessel Settebello off the coast of Oman, earlier today. Of the 24 Indian crew onboard, 21 Indians have been rescued thus far and 03 Indians are reportedly missing. Our Embassy in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and proactively coordinating with the Omani authorities in the ongoing Search and Rescue operation,” the Indian statement said.
Our statement on the attack on a commercial vessel off the coast of Oman ⬇️https://t.co/w405oJsHmZ pic.twitter.com/m0U3U81hQn
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) June 10, 2026
This is the second attack on a commercial vessel in the last three days near the Strait of Hormuz by the US Navy. On 8 June, the sanctioned MT Marivex, an oil tanker also Palau-flagged, was hit by an US strike, after trying to break the blockade and reach Iran, the American Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 10, 2026
The US has imposed a naval blockade on Iran since 13 April. The two countries have been at war since 28 February. Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since the war began.
The US imposed the blockade in an effort to force concessions from Iran. The two countries have been negotiating an end to the war, but have so far been unable to find an agreement.
While a fragile ceasefire remains in place since 8 April, Iran and the US exchanged strikes over the last 24 hours.
A number of Indian seafarers have been killed since the war began after strikes against commercial vessels as they transited the international waterway. The Strait accounts for a fifth of global energy supply.
The US top diplomat has rarely been summoned in the past decade by New Delhi. The Iranian ambassador Mohammed Fathali had been summoned by India earlier this year after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired against an Indian flagged ship during the war.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: India condemns attack on Indian-crewed tanker off Oman coast. 3 missing, 21 rescued