Tension in the Strait: Indian Crew Survives U.S. Strike on Asphalt Tanker

The Indian crew aboard the Guinea-Bissau flagged tanker, Jalveer, was safely evacuated after a suspected U.S. strike off Oman. This incident was part of a series of U.S. actions aimed at enforcing a blockade on Iran-related shipping, following similar attacks on other Indian crewed vessels in the region.

In a tense maritime conflict, India's shipping ministry confirmed the safety of all 20 Indian crew members aboard the Jalveer, a Guinea-Bissau flagged asphalt tanker. This comes after the vessel reportedly suffered a U.S. strike off the coast of Oman, marking it as the third Indian-crewed tanker targeted this week.

The Jalveer raised a distress signal near Oman's port of Shinas when a fire erupted around its engine room. British maritime risk management company Vanguard facilitated the alert, and the crew's evacuation was coordinated with the Royal Navy of Oman, according to Indian officials.

An Indian foreign ministry spokesperson revealed that the U.S. Navy was responsible for the attack, suspected to be part of operations aimed at blockading Iranian ports. The ongoing U.S. blockade began on April 13 following Iran's restriction of shipping through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil and gas passage.