On June 9, the US military attacked the Palauan-flagged oil tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman.
The US Central Command said the tanker violated a naval blockade and attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Strait of Hormuz.
They reported that a fighter jet had hit the shipʼs engine room after the crew "refused to follow the instructions of American troops". The US military did not report any deaths on board.
But on June 11, Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal reported that three Indian citizens had died in the attack. They were initially reported missing, but their bodies were later found and identified.
There were a total of 24 Indian sailors on board the tanker, 21 of whom were rescued. Sonowal called the attack a "tragic incident".
After it became known about the deaths of three Indians, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs summoned the US Chargé dʼAffaires in India, Jason Meeks, to express "strong protest", writes BBC Hindi.
- On the night of June 8, Iran attacked Israel with ballistic missiles for the first time since April — in response to Israelʼs attack on Beirut, Lebanon, which Tehran explained as a response to a strike by the Lebanese pro-Iranian Hezbollah.
- In these attacks, the US military lost its AH-64 Apache attack helicopter for the first time in the entire war in the Middle East. The US President Donald Trump blamed Iran for the shooting down and promised to respond.
- A couple of hours later, on the night of June 9, the US struck Iranian air defense facilities, command posts and radar stations near the Strait of Hormuz.
- The next day, the US struck Iran again, and Iran responded by shelling American military bases in the Persian Gulf. Tehran also announced that it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz to all ships. The US called this a lie. Despite these attacks, the ceasefire declared on April 8 is still in effect.
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