News Desk
LONDON, The U.S. military carried out a “precision” strike on a vessel in the Gulf of Oman that failed to follow its instructions and was carrying oil from Iran, it said, while India said three Indian seafarers were missing after the attack on the tanker.
The U.S. began a blockade of Iran-related shipping on April 13 after Iran severely curtailed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a major global oil and gas route.
The U.S. military’s Central Command (Centcom) said a U.S. aircraft “fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces”.
Centcom said on Wednesday it disabled the Palau-flagged oil products tanker Settebello as it transited the Gulf of Oman, adding that it had “violated the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran”.
India summoned the U.S. deputy chief of mission to the country after lodging a “strong protest” to the strike, two Indian sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.
