New Delhi: India on Wednesday (June 10) summoned the United States’ chargé d’affaires in New Delhi to protest an attack on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello off the coast of Oman.It later emerged that all three Indians have died after the vessel was reportedly struck by a missile.Reports have identified the deceased as deck cadet Aditya Sharma, engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya and chief engineer Patnala Suresh.While there has been no official statement on the diplomatic demarche, it is understood that additional secretary (Americas) in the external affairs ministry Nagaraj Naidu summoned Jason Meeks, the US embassy’s deputy chief of mission, just as New Delhi condemned the attack on the commercial vessel and renewed its call for de-escalation in the region.Earlier in the day, in a statement, the ministry said that of the 24 Indian nationals aboard the vessel, 21 had been rescued, while three were still unaccounted for. “We condemn the attack on the commercial vessel Settebello off the coast of Oman, earlier today,” it said.India said the continuing attacks on shipping in the region were “deeply worrisome” and a direct result of the ongoing conflict. It reiterated its call for immediate de-escalation and a diplomatic solution, while urging an end to attacks on commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure and the restoration of free and unimpeded navigation through international waterways.The attack occurred around 20 nautical miles northeast of Sohar, Oman.Delay in CENTCOM’s reactionInitially, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said local authorities had reported that a tanker experienced a fire in its engine room and that emergency responders were assisting with the evacuation of the crew.“The vessel is reporting 1 casualty and 2 crew members missing. No environment impact reported. Authorities continue investigating,” the UKMTO had said.Maritime security firm Vanguard Tech identified the vessel as the Settebello and said it had transmitted a distress call stating that its engine room had been struck by a missile, resulting in a fire on board. According to the company, the Oman Navy responded to the distress call.Several hours later, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) publicly acknowledged carrying out the operation. In a statement, CENTCOM said US forces had targeted the Palau-flagged tanker as it transited the Gulf of Oman after it allegedly violated the ongoing US blockade on Iranian oil exports.According to the US military, an American aircraft fired precision munitions into the vessel’s engine room after the crew “repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces”. CENTCOM described the action as the second operation in as many days against a vessel it alleged was transporting Iranian oil.The US military said it had disabled eight vessels, redirected 134 others and allowed 42 vessels carrying humanitarian aid to pass since the blockade began on April 13.The US acknowledgement came after India had already condemned the attack and lodged a diplomatic protest with Washington.US ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who is also the US special envoy to South and Central Asia, is currently touring Kazakhstan.The move marks only the second time since the outbreak of the US-Iran conflict that India has formally summoned a foreign envoy over an attack on commercial shipping in the region. In April, foreign secretary Vikram Misri summoned Iran’s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, after two Indian-flagged vessels came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz. As per an official statement, New Delhi conveyed its “deep concern” over the incident and stressed the importance of the safety of merchant shipping and mariners in the strategic waterway.The diplomatic protest also marks a significantly stronger response than New Delhi’s reaction to the MT Marivex incident earlier this week.India at the UNIn a statement, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, Permanent Representative to the UN, said that India is firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping.The strongly worded statement said:“There are almost ten million Indian citizens who live and work in the Gulf region. Their safety and well-being are of utmost priority to us. Our trade and energy supply chains are dependent on stability in the region and any major disruption has serious consequences for the Indian economy. India is also firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping as many of our nationals are prominent in its global workforce. Many Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing as a result of attacks against countries of the region and against merchant vessels and sea lanes of communication.”The Permanent Representative noted that the intensification of the conflict and its spread to other nations have evoked great anxiety. “The mounting destruction and deaths and cessation of normal life and economic activities have deeply impacted India, a proximate neighbour with critical stakes in the security and stability of the region.”Parvathaneni said that India is also strongly reiterating its call for dialogue and diplomacy, “avoiding impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, avoiding military targeting of commercial shipping, avoiding targeting of civilian population and infrastructure, and seeking an early end to the conflict.”Tankers struckOn Monday, US forces struck the Palau-flagged Marivex tanker in the Gulf of Oman. The vessel carried 24 Indian crew members, all of whom were rescued by the Oman Navy. The Indian government had largely echoed Washington’s framing, with external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal describing the vessel as having been “disabled” and noting that there had been communication between the ship and the US Navy before the incident.Sources said India conveyed that the Settebello was a commercial vessel that was not sanctioned by the US treasury department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. It also stressed the importance of safeguarding civilian seafarers, called for immediate de-escalation and said attacks on commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end.The attacks on the two oil tankers come amid renewed hostilities in the region despite a ceasefire agreed in April. Over the past week, multiple exchanges of fire have been reported involving the US, Iran and Israel.On June 7, Iran launched missiles at Israel following an Israeli strike in Lebanon, in what was described as the first direct Iran-Israel confrontation since the ceasefire took effect.Fresh hostilities followed on June 9 and June 10 after Iran downed a US military helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz and the United States responded with strikes on Iranian military targets, prompting Iranian missile and drone attacks on US facilities in the Gulf.Note: This report was updated since publication with the death toll and the UN Permanent Representative’s response.