New Delhi [India], July 14 (ANI): India has summoned Iranian diplomats, including Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) Mohammad Javad Hosseini, to the Ministry of External Affairs after an Iranian missile strike on two UAE tankers in the Strait of Hormuz left one Indian crew member dead and several others injured.
Following the high-level meeting over the recent attack on merchant vessels in the strategic waterway, the Iranian diplomats, including the DCM, were seen leaving the Ministry of External Affairs headquarters in the national capital.
The high-level diplomatic move follows an official announcement by the UAE Ministry of Defence early Tuesday confirming that the UAE-flagged tankers, Mombasa and Bahia, were targeted by Iranian cruise missiles while navigating the southern passage of the Strait of Hormuz within Omani territorial waters.
“The national tankers (Mombasa) and (Bahia) were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles in the southern passage of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters,” the UAE Ministry of Defence stated.
The lethal strike targeted at Mombasa claimed the life of the Indian national, while leaving eight other sailors injured. Among the casualties undergoing medical attention, four suffered serious injuries, with the total group comprising six Indian nationals and two Ukrainian nationals.
Beyond the human casualties, the missile strikes triggered intense fires on board both commercial vessels, inflicting severe material damage before the blazes were successfully brought under control by emergency teams.
Reacting strongly to the maritime assault, the UAE condemned the incident as a “serious violation and a clear breach of international law”. Abu Dhabi issued a stern warning that it reserved the right to retaliate and implement all required protocols to safeguard its sovereignty.
“The state reserves its full right to respond to this escalation and to take all necessary measures to protect its territories, people, and residents,” the ministry asserted, adding that its forces remain on high alert while urging the public to rely solely on official channels for updates.
The deadly engagement occurs amid intensifying military friction in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically vital maritime chokepoints. Prior to the incident, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency had reported that several “violating” vessels had been targeted in the waterway by Iranian forces.
Concurrently, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB confirmed that the navy had fired cruise missiles at a “hostile vessel of the American enemy”, citing an unnamed military source.
This sudden spike in regional hostilities follows a series of American pre-emptive strikes on Iran and a broadening international confrontation over the control of the strategic waterway.
On Monday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) launched a fresh round of strikes against targets inside Iran, stating that the operations were explicitly designed to diminish Tehran’s capacity to target civilian vessels and commercial shipping in the area.
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM stated.
The military operations coincide with a massive policy shift by US President Donald Trump, who previously announced that Washington was reinstating a strict naval blockade on Iranian shipping. Trump further declared that the US would levy a 20 per cent fee on eligible cargo transiting the strait to offset its mounting regional security expenses.
“We’re protecting a very rich portion of the world. We’re spending money. And so, what we’ve done is, we are going to be reimbursed for protection,” Trump said.
According to the US military, the enforcement of this blockade will resume from Tuesday, applying specifically to vessels travelling to and from Iranian ports, while permitting non-violating international commercial traffic to proceed through the waterway. (ANI)