India on Sunday condemned an attack on the commercial vessel MT El Gaia off the coast of Oman, stating that 13 of the 14 Indian crew members onboard had been rescued, with search and rescue operations continuing for the missing national. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the Indian Embassy in Oman was coordinating with Omani authorities to monitor the situation. The attack occurred amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, where an Iranian cargo vessel was also reportedly struck, with Iranian state media reporting one death and four injuries.

The MEA statement emphasized that the targeting of commercial shipping, seafarers, civilians, and civilian infrastructure in the region was unacceptable. It reiterated India’s call for immediate de-escalation and the use of dialogue and diplomacy to restore peace. The ministry also urged the restoration of safe navigation and commercial traffic through international waterways in the region. The attacks came a day before a planned meeting of foreign ministers from regional countries in Oman to discuss efforts by Iran and Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian state media reported that the attack on the Iranian vessel killed one person and injured four others. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations monitor separately reported a vessel was hit by a projectile while transiting the strait, triggering a fire and an evacuation, though it was not immediately clear if this was the same incident. Iran’s state-run IRNA quoted the governor of Qeshm as blaming a 'terrorist enemy' for the attack. Hours before the reported strike, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said: 'Our people can’t be bullied into submission. Iran won’t surrender,' according to a social media post.

India’s condemnation followed a broader context of rising tensions in the region, with the MEA noting that ten Indian seafarers are among 16 Indians killed so far in the West Asia conflict, and another five have died in strikes on merchant vessels in the Black Sea. The Indian government has also highlighted the importance of seafarers, noting that Indian nationals make up more than 12% of the global merchant shipping workforce, second only to Philippine nationals. India contributes almost 312,000 of the global total of 2.57 million seafarers.

The Indian statement came amid renewed tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, where an Iranian cargo vessel was reportedly struck near Qeshm Island. Iran has said that an agreement with Oman on managing the waterway would not automatically mean the strait would be reopened to shipping. Pezeshkian told India Today TV on Saturday: 'The waterway would be opened up on the condition that the U.S. will terminate its blockade.'

What remains unknown is the exact nature of the attacks, the identity of the perpetrators, and whether the incidents in the Strait of Hormuz are connected. The MEA has not provided further details on the attack on the MT El Gaia, and the situation continues to evolve with ongoing search and rescue operations for the missing Indian national.