A Palau-flagged oil tanker named Settebello was struck by a US missile northeast of Sohar port, Oman, about 20 nautical miles offshore, on June 10 or 11, 2026. The missile hit the vessel's engine room causing a fire that disabled the tanker [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].

The tanker was operated by an Indian company and had a crew of 24, mostly Indian nationals. Rescue efforts saved 21 crew members, while 3 went missing and were later confirmed dead [7, 2, 3, 4, 8, 5, 6, 9, 10]. India’s Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal expressed deep regret over the deaths, stating the missing sailors’ bodies were recovered and confirmed [7]. He added that officials have been instructed to arrange for the rescued crew to return home and the deceased to be repatriated promptly [7].

The US Central Command said the strike aimed at the vessel because it violated a US blockade related to Iran and ignored orders to stop. The missile precision-hit the engine room to disable the tanker without sinking it [7, 4, 8, 9, 10]. Maritime security firms including Ambrey assessed the attack as part of US enforcement of the blockade on Iranian ports that began on April 13, 2026. Ambrey said this was "very likely" a US action to uphold the blockade [7, 2, 3, 11, 12, 5, 6].

This was the second recent US strike on vessels with mainly Indian crews in the region. On June 8, the MT Marivex was also targeted near Oman, with all 24 crew safely rescued by Omani authorities [7, 8, 9, 10]. Since the blockade started, eight oil tankers have been disabled and 134 ships rerouted by US forces, although 42 humanitarian aid vessels were allowed through [10].

The strike on Settebello caused one injury and three fatalities among the crew, but there have been no reported environmental impacts from the fire and damage [1, 5, 6].

Following the incident, Indian officials summoned a US diplomat on June 11 to strongly protest the attacks on Indian-crewed vessels in the region [7, 8, 9, 10].

The US said the Settebello refused orders to comply with the blockade, prompting the precise military action the night before the fire was discovered. India is currently overseeing medical care for survivors and repatriation of the deceased, with efforts continuing to support the crew [7].