- India "deplored" the attack on a Thai bulk carrier transiting the Strait of Hormuz and headed to Kandla
- Photos shared by the Royal Thai Navy showed heavy black smoke rising from the Thai-registered Mayuree Naree
- Precious lives, including of Indian citizens, have already been lost in multiple such attacks in this conflict
India on Wednesday "deplored" the attack on a Thai bulk carrier transiting the Strait of Hormuz and headed to Kandla in Gujarat, underscoring that "targeting commercial shipping should be avoided".
Photos shared by the Royal Thai Navy showed heavy black smoke rising from the back of the Thai-registered Mayuree Naree, with life rafts floating in the water.
"We have seen reports about the attack on a Thai ship, Mayuree Naree, in the Straits of Hormuz on 11 March. The ship was bound for Kandla in India. India deplores the fact that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attack since the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Precious lives, including of Indian citizens, have already been lost in multiple such attacks in the earlier phase of this conflict and the intensity and lethality of the attacks only seems to be increasing," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
Earlier today, the Ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, confirmed that the two Indian nationals have lost their lives and one still remains missing amid the ongoing Middle East conflict.
The Ministry stated that the casualties occurred when Indian nationals were aboard merchant vessels that were attacked in conflict-affected waters, adding that several Indians have also sustained injuries in the Gulf region amid the conflict, including one person hurt in Israel and another reportedly injured in Dubai.
"As for the casualties, we have lost two Indian nationals, and one remains missing. We express our condolences to their families. The incidents of death and the missing person occurred when they were on merchant vessels that came under attack," Jaiswal said.
Iran has effectively stopped cargo traffic in the narrow Strait of Hormuz through which about a fifth of all oil is shipped from the Persian Gulf toward the Indian Ocean. It has also targeted oil fields and refineries in Gulf Arab nations, aiming at generating enough global economic pain to pressure the United States and Israel to end their strikes.
"India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided," the Ministry statement added.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), the elite military force, said it had struck the Liberian-flagged container ship Express Rome and the Thai bulk carrier Mayuree Naree because they had entered the Strait of Hormuz "after ignoring the warnings".
IRGC naval commander Alireza Tangsiri said in a social media post that "any vessel intending to pass must get permission from Iran".
Separately, the Iranian military's operational command declared on state television that any vessel that belongs to the United States, Israel or their allies would be considered a legitimate target and repeated a warning that it would "not allow a single litre of oil to transit" the strait.
Analysts say a prolonged closure of the strait, which also carries a third of the fertiliser for world food production, would have a devastating effect on the global economy, particularly in Asia and Europe.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon said US forces had carried out strikes that destroyed 16 mine-laying vessels that could have been used to block the strait, but Iranian attacks with drones or missiles continued on Wednesday with at least three ships hit.
