Three Indian sailors previously listed as missing lost their lives when US forces attacked a tanker in the Gulf of Oman, a federal minister confirmed.

The Palau-flagged MT Settebello faced the strike on Wednesday after American military officials stated it had ignored directions from US forces. Twenty-one of the twenty-four Indian crew members aboard were rescued.

India's Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal labeled the event deeply unfortunate in an X post and said the remains of the three sailors would return home shortly.

Indian authorities summoned the deputy head of the US mission in Delhi following the strike.

US military statements claimed Settebello had breached an American blockade while attempting to carry oil from Iran.

US Central Command posted that an aircraft delivered precision munitions to the tanker's engine room after the crew ignored repeated instructions.

This marks the second vessel carrying Indian crew hit by US forces this week. On Monday, forces struck The Marivex, another Palau-flagged oil tanker with Indian crew, in the Gulf of Oman for failing to comply with orders, Centcom reported.

Omani military personnel rescued all twenty-four crew members, Indian officials stated.

On Thursday the Indian Embassy in Oman noted another incident near Shinas port but gave no information on Indian crew or the event details.

The US military imposed a blockade around Iranian ports after Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a route for roughly twenty percent of global oil and gas supplies, amid ongoing conflict.

US forces have disabled eight vessels and redirected one hundred thirty-four others since the blockade began on 13 April, Centcom figures show.

The Indian government continues to state that targeting commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must cease.

Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen's Union of India, told the BBC that union members had started contacting families to share news of the deaths.

Yadav told The Economic Times he refused to accept that the US lacked details on the nationalities of those aboard the ships.

If the vessels ignored instructions, detaining them offered a workable option, he added.

Tensions between Iran and the US remain high as both sides exchanged strikes for a second straight day, adding pressure to a fragile April ceasefire.

On Wednesday President Donald Trump warned he would strike Iran hard, saying delays in signing a peace deal showed Americans were being played for suckers.

The conflict started on 28 February after US and Israeli strikes on Iran killed the country's supreme leader.

Iran replied with attacks on Israel and US-allied Gulf states. Fighting spread rapidly, drawing Lebanon into the conflict in March.