India has strongly condemned a deadly Iranian strike on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which resulted in the death of an Indian sailor and injured ten others. New Delhi has called for de-escalation in the region and demanded an end to attacks on commercial shipping.
The Iranian military stated it targeted two UAE-registered tankers transiting the strait near Oman, asserting that vessels should adhere to routes within Iranian-controlled waters. Iran has previously warned commercial vessels to use only approved navigation paths.
Of the 46 crew members aboard the two vessels, 30 were identified as Indian nationals. The incident has underscored the vulnerability of Indian seafarers, who constitute approximately 12 percent of the global maritime workforce, according to Indian government figures. Indian sailors have been disproportionately affected by maritime violence amid the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran.
This attack follows a recent incident where an Indian crew member of a Cyprus-flagged ship went missing after it was hit by an Iranian strike over the weekend. Last month, India lodged an official protest with the United States after a US military strike in the Gulf of Oman reportedly killed three Indian sailors.
The Ministry of External Affairs stated that a "strong protest" was lodged with Iran's deputy ambassador in New Delhi. India reiterated its call for an immediate cessation of targeting commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure, emphasizing the necessity of free and unimpeded navigation through international waterways, as mandated by international law.
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which had seen some recovery after a recent truce, has plummeted again in recent days. On Monday, only 10 ships transited the waterway, according to Kpler, a maritime data firm, a significant drop from the daily average of over 130 ships prior to the conflict. This situation poses a severe risk to India's economy, which relies heavily on oil and gas imports, contributing to soaring energy prices and supply chain disruptions.
