Three Indian sailors have been killed in strikes on at least three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz this week, as the United States doubles down on its naval blockade of Iranian ports.The Indian government on Wednesday summoned a senior US diplomat in New Delhi to demand an explanation after the US military hit a Palau-flagged ship off Oman’s coast, killing the three Indian sailors. Hours earlier, the US had also bombed another Palau-flagged vessel with 24 Indian sailors on board – also off the coast of Oman.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listAnd on Thursday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces had “disabled” a third tanker in the Gulf of Oman after the vessel “violated the blockade against Iran by attempting to transport Iranian oil”.By Friday morning, US President Donald Trump and Iranian officials were both speaking optimistically of the prospect of an agreement to at least extend the fragile ceasefire between their countries, brokered first in April by Islamabad. But for thousands of seafarers, stranded on either side of the Strait of Hormuz, peace remains elusive.The attacks on ships with Indian sailors are also the latest friction point in the relationship between Washington and New Delhi, which has reached new lows during US President Donald Trump’s second term. Trump is expected to meet his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, next week at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France.So, why are Indian sailors dying in the Strait of …
