The commercial tankers MT Marivex, MT Settebello, and MT Jalveer have been attacked by the USA in the Gulf of Oman in recent days, all with Indian crews. While the crew was rescued from MT Marivex and MT Jalveer, the attack on MT Settebello resulted in the death of three Indian crew members.
India has strongly protested against the US attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf of Oman. US Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks was summoned twice to the Ministry of External Affairs, the ministry has calld for these attacks to stop and restoration of peace in the region. EAM Jaishankar posted on June 12 that he had spoken to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the incident,
“Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India’s strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified”, Jaishankar posted.
Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India’s strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 12, 2026
Interestingly, after acing condemnation for attacking civilian commercial vessels and killing innocent crew members of a friendly nation, the US has activated their damage control mode.
It is notable here that MT Marivex, MT Settebello, and MT Jalveer were not “Indian ships”, they were flagged with different nations, but their crew were Indian nationals. MT Jalveer is a Guinea-Bissau-flagged bitumen tanker, while both MT Marivex and MT Settebello were palau-flagged.
US now claims Iranian drone attacks on Indian ships, Iran declines
CENTCOM and US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran had fired drones to attack ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz were attacked with one way drones by the Iranians and those attacks have been ‘rebuffed’ by the US forces.
“Iran launched multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces have downed all of them in recent hours as traffic flow through the strait continues unimpeded. The international trade corridor remains open for transit,” CENTCOM posted.
Trump even went a step ahead and claimed Iran had sent drones to attack “Indian ships”.
Ironically, US tried to posture itself as the peacekeeper in the Strait of Hormuz and broader region, despite being the aggressor that attacked and killed sailors of commercial vessels in recent days.
Iran has strongly responded to US President’s claim, denying any drone attacks on Indian ships.
“The U.S. president’s accusation against Iran regarding an Indian vessel in the Strait of Hormuz is simply baseless. It is an attempt to divert public attention from the brutal fact that the U.S. has attacked 3 Indian vessels in less than a week and killed 3 innocent Indian sailors. That’s pathetic,” Iranian consulate in India posted.
The U.S. president's accusation against Iran regarding an Indian vessel in the Strait of Hormuz is simply baseless. It is an attempt to divert public attention from the brutal fact that the U.S. has attacked 3 Indian vessels in less than a week and killed 3 innocent Indian… https://t.co/2UiXWAMulM
— Iran in India (@Iran_in_India) June 12, 2026
Iran’s post was shared as a response of Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei, reiterating their strong condenation of US attacks against commercial vessels.
Iran stated that the US claim of drone attacks on Indian ships is a clear and pathetic diversion tactic from their attacks on three commercial tankers with Indian crew in a week.
The situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the broader region remains volatile. However, by killing Indian crew members in commercial tankers, the USA has displayed carelessness and disregard for International Maritime Laws. India has consistently maintained its neutral stance in the war and called for peace in the region.
It is notable here that the US attacks on the three commercial vessels are confirmed and acknowledged. US used Hellfire missiles and other precision munitions into engine rooms to attack those vessels. Though Iranian drones have been active in the region, the timing and manner of the claims that US forces have rebuffed Iranian drones targeted at Indian ships in the Strait of Hormuz betray rather vague allegations and an attempt to deflect from the main issue.
Ironically, after attacking commercial vessels in the Gulf of Oman (not in the Strait of Hormuz) and killing innocent seafarers of a friendly nation that is not a party in the war, the US is trying to portray that somehow Iranian drones are endangering commercial ships.
