Photo courtesy of Anadolu
India on Tuesday summoned Iran’s deputy envoy in New Delhi after an Indian crew member was killed in missile strikes that hit two UAE-flagged tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The Indian Foreign Ministry said it lodged a strong protest with Iran’s deputy chief of mission Mohamed Javad Hosseini over the attack on the vessels in Omani territorial waters.
Thirty Indian seafarers were on board the two ships when they were struck, according to the ministry, which condemned the targeting of civilian crews and disruption of maritime traffic.
India called for an immediate end to hostilities in the region and urged parties involved to return to dialogue and diplomacy to restore peace and stability.
The ministry also stressed that attacks on commercial vessels and civilian infrastructure must stop to allow safe and unrestricted navigation through international waters in line with international law.
The UAE Defense Ministry earlier reported that one crew member was killed and eight others were injured after the tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah were hit by Iranian cruise missiles. The fatality was identified as an Indian national, while six other Indians and two Ukrainians were among those injured.
The incident occurred as tensions between the United States and Iran intensified, with Washington carrying out another round of strikes against Iranian targets linked to operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said US forces had encouraged the two tankers to take an unauthorized route through the waterway before they were hit and disabled, but it did not specify how the vessels were attacked or directly claim responsibility.