The United States on Thursday shared footage of attack on MT Jalveer in the Strait of Hormuz which had 20 Indians onboard, claiming that the foreign-flagged vessel attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman.”US forces disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman at 11.20pm ET on June 10 after the vessel violated the blockade against Iran by attempting to transport Iranian oil, marking the third commercial ship disabled by American forces this week. US Central Command (CENTCOM) acted against Guinea-Bissau flagged M/T Jalveer as it attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.It further said that two Hellfire missiles were fired into the ship’s engine room after the crew “repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces”.”Earlier this week, US aircraft disabled Palau-flagged vessels MT Marivex and MT Settebello on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Marivex violated the blockade by attempting to sail to an Iranian port and Settebello attempted to transport Iranian oil,” it said.”CENTCOM forces have disabled nine non-compliant vessels, redirected 135 ships that complied, and allowed 42 vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass since initiating the blockade on April 13. The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” it added. Ministry of external affairs formally protested repeated strikes on merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz by the US Navy. The protest came in the wake of an attack on the Palau-flagged MT Settebello while it was transiting the Gulf of Oman, an incident that left three Indian sailors dead.”There have been several incidents involving Indian seafarers in West Asia in the last few days. We attach high importance to the welfare and well-being of our seafarers’ community. We need not re-emphasise this point. Yesterday, we condemned the attack on a ship off the coast of Oman in which, unfortunately, we lost three Indian nationals,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.On Wednesday, MEA had called in US Charge d’Affaires Jason Meeks to register a protest over the growing impact of the conflict on commercial vessels employing Indian crew members. Officials are said to have urged an end to attacks on merchant shipping and emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety and security of seafarers navigating global maritime routes.
