India summons Iran’s senior diplomat over attacks on two vessels that killed an Indian seafarer and wounded several others.
NEW DELHI: India summoned Iran’s senior diplomat in New Delhi on Tuesday to protest against attacks on two commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz that killed an Indian seafarer and wounded several others.
The Indian foreign ministry said it had summoned the deputy chief of mission of the Iranian embassy to register “a strong protest” against the attacks reported early on Tuesday.
The two vessels had a total of 46 crew members aboard, including 30 Indians, one of whom has “tragically lost his life”, it said in a statement.
“India is deeply concerned by the attacks on two vessels, MT Al Bahiyah and MT Mombasa, during their transit through the Strait of Hormuz today,” it said.
The Iranian embassy declined to comment when contacted by AFP.
India and Iran share a longstanding relationship rooted in centuries of cultural and trade links, with modern diplomatic ties balancing strategic interests despite geopolitical pressures.
Tuesday’s attacks came after the United States launched a fresh salvo of strikes against Tehran, marking a new escalation in the resumption of hostilities in the Middle East war.
India is one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping worldwide, with more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025, according to its shipping ministry.
To mitigate the maritime security situation for the sailors, India’s shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched “Seafarer-First”, a coordinated emergency response “to safeguard every Indian seafarer operating in the conflict-affected region”.
The new mechanism will “establish a comprehensive vessel-by-vessel operational dashboard to account for every Indian on every vessel, irrespective of their flags, operating in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman,” said a statement issued late Tuesday by Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
The foreign ministry also called for an immediate cessation of violence and a return to dialogue and diplomacy “in keeping with international law”.
Another commercial vessel with 11 Indians on board was attacked Sunday off the coast of Oman. Ten Indians were rescued, but one remains missing.
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passed before the war broke out on February 28, is a major point of contention between the United States and Iran.
US President Donald Trump vowed on Monday to charge all cargo shipped through the waterway to pay for keeping it open, and to reinstate a blockade on Iranian ships lifted last month.
On Tuesday, he backed down on the threat to tax ships passing through Hormuz.
