An Indian crew member was killed and eight others, including six Indians, were wounded when Iranian cruise missiles hit two UAE-flagged oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, leading India to summon senior Iranian diplomats as tensions in West Asia intensify.
The UAE Ministry of Defence stated that its national tankers, Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, came under attack from two Iranian cruise missiles as they transited the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz within Omani territorial waters.
One Indian crew member on board the Mombasa was killed, and eight others were injured, among them six Indian nationals and two Ukrainians. Four of the wounded are reported to be in critical condition.
The assault also triggered fires and caused structural damage to both ships.
The UAE Ministry of Defence stated that the national tankers Mombasa and Bahia were struck by two Iranian cruise missiles in the southern corridor of the Strait of Hormuz, within Omani territorial waters.
The Indian Embassy in the UAE expressed condolences over the death of the Indian seafarer, noting in a social media post that it is closely tracking developments and coordinating with local authorities to provide all possible support to the injured and to the families.
In the aftermath of the attack, India summoned Iranian diplomats, including Deputy Chief of Mission Mohammad Javad Hosseini, to the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.
This diplomatic step followed just hours after the UAE confirmed missile strikes on merchant ships.
The UAE denounced the assault as a "serious violation and a clear breach of international law" and cautioned that it would respond.
The state fully reserves the right to respond to this escalation and to implement all necessary measures to safeguard its land, citizens, and residents, the ministry stated, noting that its forces remain at the highest level of readiness.
The ministry further reported that the attack caused material damage to both tankers due to fires that erupted on board, which have since been contained.
The attacks occurred during a significant intensification of the conflict in West Asia.
Earlier, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that several “violating” ships had been struck in the Strait of Hormuz, while the state broadcaster IRIB said the navy had launched cruise missiles at a “hostile vessel belonging to the American enemy,” quoting an unnamed military source.
The assault came after new US military strikes against Iran.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that the missions were intended to undermine Tehran’s capacity to threaten commercial vessels. "These operations will continue to inflict a significant cost on Iranian forces and diminish their capability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM said.
US President Donald Trump also declared that Washington was reintroducing a naval blockade on Iranian shipping and would levy a 20 per cent charge on eligible cargo passing through the strait.
"We are protecting a very wealthy part of the world. We are spending money. And therefore, what we have done is to ensure we will be reimbursed for this protection," Trump said.
The US military stated that the blockade would cover ships sailing to and from Iranian ports, while permitting international commercial traffic that complies with the rules to continue using the strategic waterway.
"We are protecting a very wealthy part of the world. We are spending money. And therefore, what we have done is to ensure we will be reimbursed for this protection,"Donald Trump
Following Tuesday's assault, the death toll of Indian nationals in the ongoing West Asia conflict has risen to 11.
In the previous month, three Indian crew members were killed in a US strike on the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello, while several other sailors were rescued after commercial vessels and tankers in the area were targeted.