India summons Iranian diplomats after sailor killed in Hormuz attack

India has summoned Iran's deputy ambassador and other diplomats after an Iranian missile strike on two UAE-flagged oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz killed an Indian crew member and injured eight others, government sources have said.

The diplomatic protest followed an announcement by the United Arab Emirates a day earlier that Iranian cruise missiles had struck the tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah while they were sailing through the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters, Caliber.Az reports, citing Indian media.

According to the UAE, the attack left one Indian sailor dead and wounded eight crew members, including six Indians and two Ukrainians. Four of those injured remain in critical condition.

Indian authorities called in Iranian Deputy Chief of Mission Mohammad Javad Hosseini and other embassy officials after expressing concern over the strike and seeking assurances regarding the safety of Indian nationals and commercial shipping in the area.

Following the incident, New Delhi urged all parties to avoid further escalation.

"We reiterate our call for immediate de-escalation of tensions, and the conclusion of ongoing negotiations for a diplomatic solution so that peace and stability can return to the region," India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated.

"The targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end, and free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the international waterways in the region, in keeping with international law, must be restored at the earliest," it added.

The UAE described the strike as a "brazen" violation of international law, stating that the missiles ignited fires aboard both vessels.

In the aftermath of the attack, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) again accused the United States of facilitating the movement of ships through what it called an "illegal route" closer to the Omani side of the strait.

The IRGC further claimed that the route was unsafe because mines had allegedly been laid in the area.

The security situation in the Strait of Hormuz — a vital energy corridor through which around one-fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies pass — remains highly tense as competing claims over the waterway continue to fuel uncertainty.

Amid the growing tensions, US President Donald Trump offered American protection to ships transiting the strait in exchange for a 20% fee. Tehran rejected the proposal, insisting that the waterway remains under Iranian control and dismissing the suggested charge as excessive.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov