Settebello tanker fired on by the U.S. Three Indian sailors died

The death of three Indian tankers Settebello shows that the conflict around Iran is increasingly hitting commercial shipping. The American blockade of Iranian ports has ceased to be just a tool of political pressure. It became an action in which civilian crew members are killed.

Attack off the coast of Oman

10 June oil tanker Settebello, flying the flag of Palau, was shelled by United States forces in the Gulf of Oman. According to the U.S. Central Command, the unit was to disobey calls and breach the blockade of Iranian ports. There was a cargo on board from Iranian oil.

The Americans hit a ship in the engine room area, which led to its immobilization. 21 Indian crew members were evacuated from the deck. Three sailors were initially found missing. On Thursday, the Indian authorities confirmed their deaths.

India condemns the attack on a merchant ship

New Delhi's reaction was clear. The Indian Ministry of Shipping and Foreign Affairs condemned American attack. For India, the issue has a particular burden because its citizens are among the most numerous professional groups in the global trade fleet.

This is no longer just a dispute over sanctions, oil and port blockade. After the death of three crew members, the matter also concerns the safety of seafarers who carry out their work on merchant ships and often have no influence on the decisions of shipowners, cargo owners or armed states in the region concerned.

Iranian blockade and risk to shipping

CENTCOM maintains that since the blockade of Iran's ports, US forces have already disabled several units, over a hundred ships have been diverted, and some have been allowed through the transport of humanitarian aid. Washington claims that these actions are intended to prevent the transport of Iranian oil in violation of the applicable sanctions.

From the point of view of commercial shipping, however, this represents an increased risk on one of the most important routes of global transport of energy raw materials. Through the Oman Gulf and the Ormuz Strait region, the trail leads to oil and petroleum products. Any subsequent use of force against a commercial vessel may translate into higher insurance rates, more careful shipowner decisions and more pressure on supply chains.

IMO warns against escalation

The International Maritime Organisation has condemned actions threatening the lives of seafarers and the safety of shipping. According to the IMO, dozens of attacks on international shipping have already been confirmed in the Ormuz Strait area and in nearby waters since 28 February 2026.

This shows that the Oman Gulf, the Arab Sea and the approaches to this route have become one of the main areas of the current escalation. Commercial ships, their crews and energy charges have come between American sanctions pressure, Iran's response and increasing risk armed actions at sea.

Thin boundary between lock and force

Attack on Settebello will have consequences beyond the fate of one tanker. Hitting the engine room of a merchant ship, even if the U.S. considers it a blocking unit, raises questions of proportionality, legal basis and responsibility for life civil seafarers.

But the most important thing is that the conflict around Iran has entered a particularly dangerous phase for shipping. Tankers are not warships, and sailors are not sides of the conflict. Nevertheless, it is increasingly they who pay the highest price for decisions by armed states far from their own ports.