India has lodged a formal protest with Iran over an attack on Indian seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz and summoned Iran's deputy chief of mission to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The diplomatic move comes after an Indian crew member was killed when two UAE-flagged oil tankers were reportedly struck by Iranian cruise missiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the Indian Express reported.
The incident occurred amid renewed hostilities in the Gulf following the collapse of the US-Iran ceasefire on July 6–7, which has led to an escalation in the regional conflict.
The UAE Ministry of Defence said the oil tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah came under attack while sailing through the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz.
According to reports, Iran targeted three tankers, alleging that the vessels had ignored repeated warnings to use shipping lanes authorised by Tehran. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also accused the ships of bypassing designated routes and operating with their navigation systems switched off.
The United States, meanwhile, said it had carried out strikes on more than 140 Iranian targets in retaliation for the attacks.
The dispute has also reignited competing claims over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has maintained that vessels passing through the strategic waterway should use routes approved by Tehran, while the United States has asserted that it has assumed responsibility for securing navigation through the strait and should be “reimbursed” for keeping it open.
However, under international maritime law, the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, and neither country has the right to stake a claim over it.