Delhi issues demarche to Chargé d’Affaires

An Indian mariner was killed and two others were reported missing at sea following a US military attack on a merchant vessel —Settebello — off the coast of Oman on Wednesday.In response, New Delhi tonight issued a demarche to US Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks in protest against the attack.

Meanwhile, amid fresh escalation between the US and Iran, President Donald Trump warned against possible military action, saying, “We’re going to be attacking them, and attacking them very hard.”

Trump’s warning came hours after Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan — all of which host US troops — came under Iranian fire. It was the second time this week that back-and-forth strikes have tested a two-month ceasefire.

On Settebello, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said it received a report of an incident some 20 nautical miles (nearly 40 km) northeast of Sohar, Oman. “The local authorities have reported a tanker has experienced a fire in the engine room and are on the scene assisting with the evacuation of the crew. The vessel has reported one casualty while two crew members are missing,” it said.

Sources in India said the two missing mariners “have not been accounted for” on board the vessel. Another 21 mariners — all Indians — on board the ship have been rescued by the Omani authorities. Settebello was supposedly moving around as “a dark ship”, meaning its automated identification system was not switched on. The ship has not sunk, the sources said.

The Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attack on the commercial vessel. “Our Embassy in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and proactively coordinating with the Omani authorities in the ongoing search and rescue operation,” an MEA statement said.

The continuing incidents of attacks on shipping in the region are deeply worrisome and a direct result of the ongoing conflict in the region, the statement said. The MEA reiterated the immediate need for de-escalation of tension and the conclusion of ongoing negotiations for a diplomatic solution.

The targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end, and free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the international waterways in the region in keeping with international law must be restored at the earliest, it said.

Meanwhile, tensions between the US and Iran escalated sharply after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched drone and missile attacks against US-linked military targets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan in response to American strikes on southern Iran.

Earlier, the US Central Command said it carried out “self-defence strikes” against Iranian targets in response to the downing of a US attack helicopter — the Apache — over the Strait of Hormuz.

The US Central Command said it struck Iranian air defence, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Iran would “leave no attack or threat unanswered”, raising fears of further escalation between the two countries.

The IRGC claimed that it launched a drone attack against the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and added its Aerospace Force launched long-range missiles at an airbase in Jordan that hosts US military personnel. The IRGC claimed the attack destroyed four key targets, including F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control centre, though the claims have not been independently verified.

The Kuwaiti army said its air defence systems were intercepting “hostile aerial targets”.