India’s foreign ministry announced Tuesday that it has filed a strong protest with Iran, calling in Tehran’s deputy ambassador following the killing of an Indian seafarer in the Strait of Hormuz.
The victim was one of 46 crew members aboard two vessels — the MT Al Bahiyah and the MT Mombasa — when both ships came under attack while passing through the shipping lane. Of those 46 crew members, 30 were Indian nationals, according to the ministry.
Ten additional Indian sailors were injured in the attacks, with two of them reported to be in serious condition, the ministry said in an official statement.
India described itself as “deeply concerned” by the attacks and called for an end to the targeting of commercial ships and civilian infrastructure in the region, stating such actions “must cease.”
The situation in the strait has been escalating. U.S. President Donald Trump reinstated a blockade on Iranian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz this month and put forward a proposal to charge a 20% fee to provide protection there. Iran has pushed back, saying the U.S. has no authority over the future of the waterway, which handled roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies before the conflict broke out on February 28.
A separate incident has also left another Indian national unaccounted for after an attack on the container ship GFS Galaxy in the strait on Sunday. Iran stated it targeted that vessel because it attempted to travel through an unauthorized route after being warned not to do so.
