NEW DELHI/MUSCAT - In a dramatic escalation of US maritime enforcement against Iranian-linked shipping, a US Navy fighter jet struck the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Marivex in the Gulf of Oman on June 8, 2026. All 24 crew members on board were Indian nationals.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that an F/A-18 Super Hornet from the USS Abraham Lincoln fired a precision munition into the vessel's engineering and steering spaces after the crew failed to comply with directions from US forces . The ship was attempting to sail to an Iranian port in violation of the ongoing US naval blockade, according to Washington.
While the crew issued chilling distress calls-"Please help, the ship is sinking" after a missile hit the engine room-and were dramatically rescued by Omani helicopters, the Indian government refused to name the United States as the attacker .
The incident occurred at approximately 1:30 PM local time on June 8, 2026. The MT Marivex, a sanctioned oil tanker previously blacklisted by the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for its involvement in transporting Iranian oil, was transiting international waters in the Gulf of Oman .
According to CENTCOM, the vessel violated the "ongoing blockade against Iran by attempting to sail to an Iranian port." An F/A-18 Super Hornet fired a precision munition into the ship's engineering and steering spaces after the crew "failed to comply with directions from US forces" .
The strike disabled the tanker, causing a massive fire and a hole in the hull. The crew sent an urgent SOS, reporting, "We have fire on board, and the vessel is sinking" .
An audio recording of the distress call captured the panic aboard the vessel. A crew member can be heard urgently seeking help as flames spread across the ship following the missile strike on the engine room .
The Indian Coast Guard's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai immediately coordinated with Oman's Maritime Search and Rescue Centre. Within an hour of the distress alert, a Royal Air Force of Oman helicopter took off from Masirah Island and airlifted all 24 Indian crew members to safety .
Video footage of the rescue showed the helicopter hovering above the stricken tanker as crew members were evacuated one by one from the deck.
Despite the US military's open admission of the strike, the Indian government carefully avoided criticizing Washington.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the ship was "disabled" and confirmed there had been "some exchange of communication between the ship and the US Navy" . He did not say who disabled the tanker or criticize the action.
The Defence Ministry separately referred to a "missile attack" on the vessel but similarly omitted any reference to the United States .
This muted response stands in stark contrast to India's reaction to earlier incidents in the region. In April, when Iranian forces fired on an Indian-flagged vessel, India summoned Iran's ambassador and publicly expressed concern .
However, when a US Navy strike directly endangered 24 Indian lives-directly bombing the vessel they were operating-New Delhi offered only "thank you sarr" to Oman for the rescue and remained silent on the attacker .
The Indian Embassy in Muscat thanked Omani authorities for their "swift response," stating, "We are thankful to the Omani authorities for their swift response and rescue of all the 24 crew members of Indian nationality onboard MT Marivex" .
Notably missing from India's statement was any criticism of the United States for creating the life-threatening situation in the first place. There were no summons of ambassadors, no demands for explanations, and no expressions of concern over the safety of Indian seafarers.
This is not the first time India has looked away when the perpetrator was Washington.
Following the US torpedo attack on the Iranian warship IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka on March 4, 2026-in which 104 sailors died, days after the vessel had attended exercises organized by the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam-India issued no condemnation .
When the conflict began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, the Modi government did not directly condemn the United States, instead calling on "all parties" to de-escalate without naming any side .
Indian media coverage largely followed the government's lead, focusing on the successful rescue by Omani authorities rather than questioning why an Indian-crewed vessel was bombed by a US warplane in the first place .
Headlines celebrated the "safe evacuation" of the crew while downplaying the US role. The fact that a US jet fired a precision munition into a ship carrying two dozen Indian nationals was treated as a secondary detail-if it was mentioned at all.
The Federation of Seafarers' Unions of India (FSUI) called the attack "a matter of serious concern," but its voice was largely drowned out by the government's carefully calibrated silence .
The US Navy bombed a ship carrying 24 Indian crew members. The Indian government thanked Oman for the rescue. It did not thank the US for not killing them, nor did it condemn the US for endangering them.
India's strategic alignment with the United States has rendered it incapable of defending its own citizens when the perpetrator is its "strategic partner." The message to Indian seafarers is clear: their lives are expendable when they conflict with India's geopolitical calculations.
All 24 crew members are safe. But the silence from New Delhi is deafening.
