Key facts
- A US military strike on the M/T Settebello killed three Indian sailors.
- The US Central Command stated the vessel was attempting to transport oil from Iran.
- Two other commercial vessels with Indian crews were attacked by US forces recently.
- Congressman Rob Wittman expressed condolences and called the incident unfortunate.
Republican Congressman Rob Wittman on Thursday described the US military strike that killed three Indian sailors off the coast of Oman as "a very, very unfortunate incident." He added that the US military is investigating the circumstances.
A US strike on the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of three Indian sailors, with 21 others rescued from the 28-person crew. The US Central Command stated the vessel was targeted for attempting to transport oil from Iran, thereby violating an ongoing blockade.
In the preceding three days, two other commercial vessels carrying Indian crew members were attacked by US naval forces. Two of these three vessels had previously been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department.