Early on June 10, 2026, a US Central Command aircraft fired precision munitions into the engine room of the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello 24 nautical miles northeast of Sohar, Oman. Intended to enforce a blockade, the strike instead killed three Indian seafarers—igniting a volatile diplomatic crisis for New Delhi.
Early on June 10, 2026, a US Central Command aircraft fired precision munitions into the engine room of the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello 24 nautical miles northeast of Sohar, Oman. Intended to enforce a blockade, the strike instead killed three Indian seafarers—igniting a volatile diplomatic crisis for New Delhi.
The US–Israel war on Iran began February 28, 2026, with joint strikes that reportedly killed Iran's supreme leader. Iran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz — the chokepoint through which roughly 20 million barrels per day, about 20% of global petroleum liquids, normally flow.
Washington imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports on April 13. By early June, CENTCOM's running tally stood at 8 non-compliant vessels disabled, 134 ships redirected, and 42 humanitarian vessels allowed through.
A fragile April ceasefire was collapsing when CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins confirmed the strike on MT Settebello. Vessel manager IOS Marine–FZE denied any Iran affiliation.
On June 8, an F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln struck the MT Marivex (IMO 9464156) as it transited toward an Iranian port near the Musandam approaches — the opening blow in a 72-hour cluster.
Palau-flagged and formerly named 'Arihant,' the tanker was OFAC-sanctioned and owned by Arihant Shipping. All 24 Indian crew were rescued by Oman. Zero deaths — but the pattern was set.
India's MEA later noted that two of the three struck vessels, including Marivex, were under US sanctions — a detail that complicated New Delhi's protest as the strikes escalated.
At 11:14 p.m. ET June 9 — early June 10 local time — a CENTCOM aircraft fired precision munitions into MT Settebello's engine room ~20 nautical miles northeast of Sohar. CENTCOM said the crew 'repeatedly failed to comply with directions.'
Three Indian seafarers died: deck cadet Aditya Sharma, engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya, and chief engineer Patnala Suresh. Twenty-one of the 24 Indian crew were rescued; 25 survivors total were evacuated from the likely 28-person crew.
UKMTO and Ambrey initially logged 'one dead, two missing' before India's Shipping Minister confirmed all three deaths on June 11. It was the deadliest of the 72-hour cluster — and the story's turning point.
MT Jalveer (IMO 9486283), a Guinea-Bissau-flagged asphalt/bitumen tanker carrying 20 Indian crew, was struck June 10–11 near Shinas, Oman — two Hellfire missiles fired by a CENTCOM aircraft. All 20 crew were reported safe; no casualties.
India's MEA noted a key distinction: unlike Marivex and Settebello, Jalveer was classified 'non-compliant' — not under OFAC sanctions — sharpening New Delhi's protest that the strikes were ensnaring vessels with no direct sanctions nexus.
With Jalveer disabled, CENTCOM's running tally rose to 9 non-compliant vessels disabled and 135 ships redirected since the blockade began April 13 — closing a 72-hour window that left three tankers struck, three Indian seafarers dead, and dozens more pulled from stricken ships.
The Forward Seamen's Union of India named the dead: Aditya Sharma, deck cadet, from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh; Shivanand Chaurasiya, engine fitter, from Deoria, Uttar Pradesh; and Patnala Suresh, chief engineer, from Andhra Pradesh.
Three corners of India. Three families waiting. FSUI general secretary Manoj Yadav said: 'I am 101% confident that the US Navy knew exactly how many Indian and foreign nationals were on board.'
India's Shipping Ministry directed the Seamen Welfare Fund Society to pay Rs 10 lakh to each family — a gesture measured against a region where more than 18,000 Indian seafarers remain at sea.
India summoned US Chargé d'Affaires Jason Meeks on June 10; the demarche was delivered by Additional Secretary (Americas) Nagaraj Naidu. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was blunt: 'These attacks must cease.'
Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed all three deaths on June 11 and ordered repatriation of remains. The Seamen Welfare Fund Society was directed to pay ₹10 lakh to each family.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez 'strongly condemned' the strike as 'simply unacceptable,' a day after warning there was 'no safe passage' through Hormuz. The ITF marked 100 days of seafarers paying with their lives.