How Long Will Indian Sailors Pay for the US Iran War?

The violation of ceasefire between US and Iran has once again choked the crucial maritime activity at the Strait of Hormuz. What is more concerning is that commercial cargo ships are being attacked by the Iranian troops.

Last month, three Indian sailors died after a vessel was attacked when both sides were engaged in air strikes. Now, another similar attack happened as cargo ship named the GFS Galaxy was allegedly hit by Iranian troops off the Oman coast. The vessel immediately caught fire soon after the attack.

There were 11 Indian crew members working on this cargo ship during the attack. Rescue teams rushed to help the workers as the fire spread . They successfully found and saved 10 of the Indian sailors from the water. Unfortunately, one Indian sailor is still missing. Local rescue teams are working hard to search the ocean and find the missing worker.

According to reports from the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the vessel suffered extensive engine room damage and caught fire during the strike, forcing the crew to abandon the ship into lifeboats.

The incident triggered an immediate escalation, with the U.S. military launching its third wave of retaliatory strikes this week against Iranian military targets, accusing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of executing the attack.

But, the Iranian military said they only fired a warning shot because the ship was in the wrong lane.

Expressing deep concern over the volatile situation, Indian Ministry of External Affairs stated that the repeated targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure is deeply worrisome.