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India on Wednesday summoned US charge d'affaires Jason Meeks and lodged a strong protest over a US attack on a commercial tanker with 24 Indian crew members off the coast of Oman, sources said. Three of the 24 crew members on board the vessel went missing following the attack. In its reaction, New Delhi said the targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in West Asia must end, and free and unimpeded navigation through the international waterways should be restored at the earliest. The attack on commercial vessel Settebello came two days after a Palao-flagged vessel with 24 Indians came under attack of the US Navy as the ship tried to evade the US blockade of Iranian ports. "We condemn the attack on the commercial vessel Settebello off the coast of Oman, earlier today. Of the 24 Indian crew onboard, 21 Indians have been rescued thus far and three Indians are reportedly missing," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. It said the Indian embassy in Oman is clo
A fire was reported aboard an oil tanker carrying 24 Indian seafarers off the coast of Oman on Monday, as Israel and Iran exchanged fresh attacks in their first major escalation since the ceasefire. The Madagascar-flagged MT Marivex reported a fire around 1.30 pm IST, Opesh Kumar Sharma, a director in India's Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said at a news briefing. Sharma declined to comment on the cause of the fire but said the vessel was carrying 24 Indian crew members. The tanker was empty and located well outside the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route that has been affected by regional tensions, he said. "This is the preliminary information which we have received... as per available information, all Indian seafarers are safe," Sharma said. "We are coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs, our missions abroad, Indian Navy, Ministry of Defence, to ensure their safety." Ship-tracking data showed the vessel at anchor south of Muscat. The tanker issued a
The UAE has condemned a strike on an Indian-flagged vessel off the coast of Oman, calling it a "terrorist attack" and a "dangerous escalation" that threatens the stability of critical waterways. The commercial vessel, which was sailing from Somalia, came under attack on Wednesday, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs. All 14 crew members were rescued by Omani authorities, but it was not immediately known who carried out the strike, it said. "The UAE strongly condemns terrorist attack on Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman," the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement issued on Thursday. "This attack constitutes a grave threat to the security of international navigation and represents a dangerous escalation aimed at undermining the stability of critical waterways." The incident took place amid the fragile situation in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway close to the coast of Oman through which roughly one-fifth of the world's energy suppli
An Indian-flagged commercial vessel has come under attack off the coast of Oman but all its crew members are safe, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. It is not immediately known who carried out the strike on the vessel on Wednesday. The MEA described the attack as "unacceptable". "The attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman yesterday is unacceptable and we deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted," it said. "All Indian crew on board are safe and we thank the Omani authorities for rescuing them," it said. The MEA said India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided.
Early implementation of the free trade agreement (FTA), signed in December 2025 is likely to figure in the meeting of India and Oman on May 11 here, an official said. The agreement will provide duty-free access to 98 per cent of India's exports, including textiles, agri, and leather goods in Oman. On the other hand, India will reduce tariffs on Omanese products such as dates, marbles and petrochemical items. "Oman team is visiting here on May 11. India will try to push for early implementation of the FTA," the official said. Oman is an important strategic partner of Indian in the Middle East region and is a key gateway for Indian goods and services to the wider Middle East and Africa. Nearly 7 lakh Indian nationals reside in Oman. India receives about USD 2 billion remittances from Oman annually. This is the second trade deal of India with a GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) member. India in May 2022 implemented a similar pact with the UAE and it is expected to soon start talks with
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday held talks with his Omanese counterpart Anwar bin Hilal bin Hamdoun Al Jabri on ways to promote bilateral trade and investment. In the last few days, Goyal has held discussions with the trade ministers of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait. "Held a telecall with HE Anwar bin Hilal bin Hamdoun Al Jabri, Oman's Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion. Discussed unlocking opportunities under the India-Oman CEPA to boost bilateral trade and investment ties for the mutual growth of both nations," Goyal said in a social media post. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was signed in Muscat in December 2025. It has not yet been implemented. The pact will provide duty free access to 98 per cent of India's exports including textiles, agri and leather goods in Oman. On the other hand, India will reduce tariffs on Omanese products such as dates, marbles and petrochemical items. India-Oman bilateral tr
The family of seafarer Dixit Solanki who died last month in a suspected attack on a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman has moved the Bombay High Court, seeking the return of his mortal remains. The petition, filed by Solanki's father Amratlal Solanki and sister Mitali Solanki through advocates S B Talekar and Madhvi Ayyappan, has sought directions to the Union government to expedite the repatriation of his remains, claiming lack of clarity from the authorities. The plea will be heard on April 6 by a bench headed by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar. Dixit Solanki (25) was killed on March 4 when an explosive-laden drone boat struck an oil tanker -- MT MKD Vyom -- off the coast of Oman amid the West Asia conflict, becoming its first Indian casualty. In their plea, the Solankis have also sought that all investigation and forensic records be shared with them. The plea has been filed against the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the ...
Iran on Thursday claimed its drafting a proposal with Oman to 'monitor' Strait of Hormuz. The comments by Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian diplomat, quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency, described the proposal as "intended to facilitate and ensure safe passage and provide better services to ships passing through this route." Iran's attacks on shipping in the region, as well as reportedly demanding as much as USD 2 million for passage through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, have created a stranglehold on the route. It is unclear what the proposal would mean. Oman did not immediately acknowledge it. The strait runs through Iranian and Omani territorial waters but is considered an international waterway that should freely allow ships to pass. "Naturally, when we face an act of aggression, navigation encounters serious problems, and this is the result of the aggressive act," Gharibabadi said. "We are currently at war and cannot expect pre-war rules to govern wartime conditions.
Two Indian nationals were killed and 10 others injured in a drone strike in Oman's Sohar city on Friday that marked the first Indian fatalities on land since the Iran-US conflict erupted on February 28. Joint secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs Aseem Mahajan confirmed the killing of the two Indians in Oman at an inter-ministerial media briefing on the crisis in West Asia. He also said that 150,000 Indian nationals have returned to India from West Asia after the conflict began. "I wish to share with you an incident that happened in Sohar city today. There was an attack and in this incident two Indian nationals have died," he said. "We express our deepest condolences to their families. Of the 11 injured (in the attack), 10 are Indians. Out of them, five have been discharged after receiving treatment, and five others are receiving treatment in local hospitals," Mahajan said. "None of them is reported to have serious injuries. Our mission is in close touch with the ..
Explosions in the sky woke Cory McKane on Saturday, turning a quick visit to Dubai before a friend's wedding in India into a tense, multi-day search for a way out of the United Arab Emirates as the Iran war expanded. Faced with limited options, McKane and his friends eventually drove a rental car to the Oman border, where taxi drivers were charging up to USD 650 to take people to Muscat International Airport. The journey to Muscat took 10 hours but paid off: McKane secured a last-minute flight to India, arriving Wednesday sleep-deprived but relieved. Hundreds of thousands of travellers found themselves similarly stranded in the Middle East after Israel and the United States attacked Iran on Saturday, and Iran struck back on Gulf states as well as Israel. With much of the region's airspace closed and airstrikes intensifying, governments from North America and Africa to Europe and Southeast Asia continued their race on Wednesday to bring their citizens home. Officials chartered jets o