Middle East tensions: 15 Indians among 20 crew evacuated after Iran hits tanker near Hormuz

 

An oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz was attacked near the coast of Oman, as Iran escalated its retaliation following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by the United States and Israel.

The Palau-flagged oil tanker Skylight was struck five nautical miles north of Khasab Port, off Oman’s Musandam Peninsula, in an assault that followed drone strikes on the country’s Duqm Port. At least four crew members were injured.

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“The Maritime Security Centre announces that the oil tanker (SKYLIGHT), flying the flag of the Republic of (Palau), was targeted 5 nautical miles north of Khasab Port in the Musandam Governorate, and all crew members of the tanker, consisting of 20 individuals including — 15 holding Indian nationality and 5 of Iranian nationality have been evacuated,” Oman’s Maritime Security Centre said in a post that did not specify what hit the vessel.

The tanker was carrying 20 crew members — 15 Indians and five Iranians — at the time of the attack. Four sustained varying injuries and were taken for treatment, according to preliminary information from the centre.

The strike marks the first time a target has been hit in or near Oman as the Gulf is drawn deeper into a new war sparked by Iran’s retaliation to joint US-Israeli strikes.

The Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly a fifth of global oil consumption flows, is widely regarded as the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoint. The narrow corridor links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, ultimately opening into the Indian Ocean. Iran lies to its north, while Oman and the UAE sit to its south. Control of the strait is shared between Iran and Oman’s Musandam Peninsula.

Shipping through the corridor had already thinned after a radio broadcast purportedly declared that “no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz,” rattling shipping firms, insurers and oil markets. Tehran had warned last month it could close the passage if the US or other countries launched strikes.

Now, Iran has vowed a sweeping response to the latest attacks that eliminated its Supreme Leader. “The most ferocious offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran's armed forces will begin any moment now,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned.