Indian sailor killed in missile attack on Emirati oil tankers in Strait of Hormuz

The father-in-law of an Indian national, who went missing after an attack on a commercial vessel off the coast of Oman, said on Wednesday that he had died. India's Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday that 10 of the 11 Indians aboard the ship (GFS Galaxy) had been rescued, according to Reuters.

India's Ministry of External Affairs summoned Iranian diplomats to the ministry on Tuesday to protest the attack on Emirati oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, which resulted in the death of an Indian sailor.

India's Ministry of External Affairs said it lodged a strong protest with Iran demanding clarification on the incident, after summoning the Iranian Deputy Ambassador to the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi, Mohammad Javad Hosseini, and other diplomats.

It added that the Indian sailor was among the crew of the two ships, Bahia and Mombasa, totaling 46 sailors, including 30 Indians, which were attacked while transiting the navigation channel in the strait.

India expressed "grave concern" over these attacks, saying that targeting commercial ships and civilian infrastructure in the region "must stop."

It called for de-escalation of rising tensions in the region, renewing the call for a diplomatic solution to restore peace and stability in the area.

The UAE Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday the death of one person and the injury of eight others, with the injured comprising six Indian nationals and two Ukrainian citizens. The attack also caused material damage to the two tankers due to fires that broke out on board, which have since been brought under control.

The ministry said in a statement that "the two national tankers (Mombasa) and (Bahia) were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles in the southern corridor of the Strait of Hormuz, in Omani territorial waters."

For days, the United States has been launching attacks on Iran under the pretext of responding to Tehran's targeting of commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

In response, Tehran retaliates by bombing what it says are US military installations in Arab countries, while some of those countries have stated that Iranian attacks have resulted in civilian casualties and damaged civilian facilities.