Key facts
- Oman summoned Iran's ambassador to protest drone strikes and an attack on the GFS Galaxy vessel.
- One Indian national is missing following the attack on the GFS Galaxy.
- 23 crew members of the GFS Galaxy have been rescued.
- Iran's IRGC claimed to have struck a vessel for ignoring shipping corridor instructions.
- The US Central Command attributed the attack to Iran's IRGC.
Oman has summoned Iran's ambassador in Muscat to protest what it described as Iranian drone strikes on sites in the Musandam and al-Batinah governorates, and an earlier attack on a commercial vessel off its coast. The Omani foreign ministry expressed dismay at the 'irresponsible acts' and called for respect for state sovereignty.
Authorities in Oman stated that 23 crew members of the commercial vessel GFS Galaxy were rescued on Sunday, with a search ongoing for one missing crew member. India's Ministry of External Affairs confirmed 11 Indian nationals were on board, with 10 rescued and one missing. The ministry condemned the attack and is coordinating with Omani authorities.
The US Central Command attributed the attack on the Cyprus-flagged container vessel to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), noting it sustained significant damage and a fire. Iran's IRGC had previously stated it struck and stopped a vessel for ignoring repeated instructions to use an approved shipping corridor.