India Protests US Tanker Strike That Killed 3 Sailors
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- India summoned US deputy chief of mission Jason Meeks to deliver a "strong protest" after three Indian sailors were killed in a US strike on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello off Oman's coast on Wednesday.
- India's foreign ministry condemned the attacks on shipping in the Gulf without naming the US, calling for "immediate de-escalation of tensions" — a diplomatic formulation that reflects Modi's reluctance to openly confront Washington.
- US Central Command said it fired precision munitions into the Settebello's engine room after the crew "repeatedly failed to comply with directions," and reported that nine "non-compliant vessels" have been disabled since the blockade began on April 13.
- Trump congratulated Modi on social media Wednesday night for becoming India's longest continuously serving prime minister; Modi responded warmly, underscoring the bilateral courtship happening even as sailors die.
- Two other Indian-crewed vessels were struck in recent days — the Marivex on Monday (crew rescued) and the Jalveer on Thursday, hit by two Hellfire missiles off Oman, with its crew being evacuated.
- India is the world's third-biggest supplier of commercial seafarers, with more than 320,000 working globally, making its citizens uniquely exposed to the US naval campaign against Iranian oil shipments.
- IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez called the Settebello attack "simply unacceptable," as the US and Iran traded strikes overnight Thursday in the most serious threat to a fragile two-month ceasefire.
Why it matters: With over 320,000 Indian seafarers working globally, India is uniquely exposed to the US naval blockade of Iranian oil — yet Modi is publicly pulling punches, declining even to name Washington in its condemnation. The carefully calibrated response — a formal closed-door protest paired with warm Trump-Modi social media exchanges the same night — reveals a government choosing strategic partnership over solidarity with its own dead sailors, a calculation that will only get harder as the body count rises.
