In Big Step, India Issues Demarche To US Diplomat After Attack On Ship

India on Wednesday condemned an attack earlier in the day on a commercial vessel off the coast of Oman which had 24 Indian crew onboard. In a big development, New Delhi has issued a demarche to the United States' top diplomat in Delhi after the attack.

"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," the foreign ministry said in the statement.

New Delhi stated that the attacks on shipping in the region are "deeply worrisome" and termed them a direct result of the Middle East conflict. 

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

"We reiterate our call for immediate de-escalation of tensions and the conclusion of ongoing negotiations for a diplomatic solution so that peace and stability can return to the region. 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.

Nagaraj Naidu, the additional secretary in the Foreign Ministry, summoned Jason Meeks, the charge d'affaires of the United States, to protest the attack on the ship. 

While 21 Indians have been rescued, three are still missing, the Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed. In a statement, the ministry said that the Indian Embassy in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the authorities there in the ongoing search and rescue operation.

How The Missile Attacked The Ship

A missile tore through the engine room of the oil tanker Settebello near the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a fire onboard. 

The Palau-flagged vessel had 28 crew aboard, 24 of them Indian nationals, when it sent out a distress call reporting the strike while sailing roughly 20 nautical miles northeast of the Omani port of Sohar.

In a post on X, the US Central Command confirmed that the US forces disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after the vessel violated the naval blockade.

https://t.co/YgShlznGPQ

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 10, 2026

"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 post stated.

The attack is set against a rapidly deteriorating security situation in one of the world's busiest maritime corridors. Washington imposed a blockade on Iran-linked shipping in mid-April after Tehran moved to choke off commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

The tit-for-tat standoff has since left the waterway, through which a significant share of global oil and gas flows, increasingly treacherous for civilian vessels. According to the Central Command, US forces have disabled eight non-compliant ships and redirected 134 others.

The Settebello incident is far from isolated. Since early March, dozens of commercial vessels have been caught in the crossfire along the Gulf coastline, with strikes recorded off the UAE, Kuwait and Oman. In late May, a separate tanker was struck roughly 60 nautical miles east of Muscat, and earlier in the year Iran hit a tanker near the Omani port of Khasab.

India, home to one of the world's largest seafaring workforces, has repeatedly found its nationals in harm's way as the conflict intensifies.