A US warplane fired on and disabled a tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was attempting to transport oil from Iran in violation of the American blockade, the US military said Wednesday.
Late the previous day, the aircraft “fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces,” US Central Command said in a post on X, identifying the vessel as the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello.
CENTCOM forces have disabled eight non-compliant vessels, redirected 134 ships that complied, and allowed 42 vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass since initiating the blockade on April 13, the X post added.
Three Indian crew members were reported missing in an attack, India’s foreign ministry said. In a statement, New Delhi condemned the attack on the vessel, the Settebello, saying, “the 24 Indian crew onboard, 21 Indians have been rescued thus far, and three Indians are reportedly missing”.
Indian Statement on the attack on a commercial vessel off the coast of Oman:
We condemn the attack on the commercial vessel Settebello off the coast of Oman, earlier today. Of the 24 Indian crew onboard, 21 Indians have been rescued thus far and 03 Indians are reportedly missing. Our Embassy in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and proactively coordinating with the Omani authorities in the ongoing Search and Rescue operation. 2. The continuing incidents of attacks on shipping in the region are deeply worrisome and a direct result of the ongoing conflict in the region. We reiterate our call for immediate de-escalation of tensions, and the conclusion of ongoing negotiations for a diplomatic solution so that peace and stability can return to the region. The targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end, and free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the international waterways in the region in keeping with international law must be restored at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the Indian foreign ministry “summoned (US) charge d’affaires, lodged a strong protest” over the attack on the commercial vessel, a senior Indian government official told AFP.
A critical waterway for global fuel supplies, the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf has been almost completely blocked since the start of the Middle East war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Talks during a fragile ceasefire in place since April have failed to deliver a deal to reopen the strait.
Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported an incident 20 nautical miles northeast of Sohar in Oman, saying the vessel had reported one casualty and two crew members missing.
“Local authorities have reported a tanker has experienced a fire in their engine room and are on the scene assisting with the evacuation of the crew,” it said.
British maritime security company Vanguard Tech said the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello had “transmitted a distress call stating that its engine room had been struck by a missile while operating off Sohar in the Gulf of Oman” and that there was a fire on board.
Trump Vows Fresh Iran Strikes
President Donald Trump said the US will renew attacks on Iran on Wednesday, accusing Tehran’s peace negotiators of “playing us for suckers.”
Trump’s remarks came after the two sides traded fire following the downing of a US helicopter, further straining a ceasefire that took effect in April.
“We hit them hard yesterday. We’re going to hit them again hard today,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’re going to be attacking them — attacking them very hard.”
The United States said it had carried out strikes on Iran on Tuesday in retaliation for the shooting down of the Apache chopper. Its two crew members were rescued.
Trump said he could order the targeting of Iranian bridges and power plants, a step he had originally threatened just before the ceasefire but never followed through on.
“I am not going to say that to you. But I can do that,” Trump said when asked by an AFP journalist about a Fox News report that he was considering such plans.
Trump appeared to be losing patience with the peace talks with Iran, after weeks of repeatedly saying the two sides were close to a deal.
“We were really close to a deal, but they keep tapping us along, they keep playing us for suckers,” Trump said.
“All they have to do is they have to start signing a paper. It’s fully negotiated. We have it fully negotiated, but they’re tapping and tapping, and I say, ‘All right, let’s give them a couple of more days.'”
Trump had earlier warned in a social media post that Iran has taken too long to negotiate a deal over the conflict in the Middle East and will now “have to pay the price.”
“The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!! They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
It marked a major contrast with his comments to reporters on Tuesday that negotiations on an enduring settlement to end the war were in their “final throes,” and could be wrapped up in “two or three days.”
In another social post on Wednesday, Trump praised the US blockade of Iranian shipping, calling it “the most successful” in history while labeling it a “steel wall.”
He claimed that the blockade had halted Iranian business and prevented it from paying military wages, while still allowing other countries to export “lots of oil.”
“Praise be to Allah!” Trump wrote.
In the US strikes late Tuesday, the US Central Command said the US Air Force and Navy had command and control, defense and surveillance stations.
Iran said it had attacked American bases in Jordan and Bahrain on Wednesday.
By Agence France-Presse
