Indian sailor killed as Iranian missiles hit two UAE tankers in Strait of Hormuz

New Delhi: An Indian crew member was killed and eight others were wounded after Iranian cruise missiles struck two United Arab Emirates-flagged oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the UAE defence ministry said. The ministry said the tankers, the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were targeted in the southern lane of the strait in Omani territorial waters, with the dead crew member aboard the Mombasa tanker.

Of the eight wounded, four were seriously injured, and six of the wounded were Indian nationals while two were Ukrainian nationals. The identity of the deceased sailor has not yet been released.

The missile attack started fires on both tankers and caused heavy damage, though the crew managed to bring the flames under control, helping avoid a bigger accident in one of the world’s busiest sea routes.

‘Act of piracy’

The UAE defence ministry condemned the attack, describing it as a blatant violation of international law and a serious threat to regional security and stability, and affirmed that it remains on the highest level of readiness to address any threats.

In a separate statement, the UAE foreign ministry said using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail amounts to an act of piracy and poses a direct threat to regional stability, the safety of its people and global energy security. It extended condolences to the family of the deceased crew member as well as to the government and people of India.

The attack came a day after the president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced Washington was resuming its naval embargo on vessels from Iran, saying American forces would keep the strait open “for a fee” and warning of a hard military response in the coming hours.

Second attack in four days

This is the second Iranian attack on vessels carrying Indians in four days. India on July 12 condemned an attack on the commercial vessel GFS Galaxy off the coast of Oman, in which one Indian national remains missing while ten others were rescued. Last month, US strikes killed three Indian sailors aboard the tanker Settebello.

New Delhi has twice summoned the US embassy’s chargé d’affaires, Jason Meeks, to protest the attacks, though the Ministry of External Affairs had not formally responded to Tuesday’s strikes on the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah at the time of writing.

India relies heavily on the Strait of Hormuz for its energy imports, and the rising toll among Indian crews on tankers transiting the waterway is likely to sharpen pressure on New Delhi to press both Washington and Tehran for de-escalation.