New Delhi: India has summoned Iran’s Deputy Ambassador to the Ministry of External Affairs following an Iranian missile strike on two UAE tankers in the Strait of Hormuz that killed an Indian crew member and injured several others, according to government sources.
The Iranian Ambassador was not in New Delhi at the time. The MEA therefore called the Deputy Ambassador for the diplomatic démarche.
The move followed the UAE’s statement that Iranian cruise missiles struck the tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah in the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, within Omani territorial waters. The attack killed one Indian sailor and injured eight others, including six Indians and two Ukrainians. Four of the injured remain in critical condition.
The MEA is expected to express India’s concern over the safety of Indian nationals serving on commercial vessels in one of the world’s busiest maritime routes. It is also expected to seek assurances regarding the security of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest incident comes amid rising tensions in the strategic waterway. The route carries a large share of India’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas imports. The attack has raised concerns over the safety of commercial shipping and energy supplies.
According to the report, the Strait of Hormuz has witnessed repeated attacks since March 2026 as tensions between the United States and Iran intensified. In June, US forces struck three commercial tankers near Oman and the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Three Indian sailors died in one of those attacks.
Indian maritime unions have reported that at least seven Indian seafarers had lost their lives in Hormuz-related attacks involving either US forces or Iran’s Revolutionary Guard before the latest strike. More than two dozen others have suffered injuries or trauma.
India had also summoned the US Chargé d’Affaires twice after the June attacks, describing the use of lethal force against civilian shipping as unacceptable. Prime Minister Narendra Modi later raised the issue at the G7 Summit, calling for the protection of seafarers, freedom of navigation and the prevention of militarisation of critical sea routes.
