An oil tanker with 15 Indians among its crew member was hit by a missile strike off the coast of Oman on Sunday. (Image X @ani_digital)
Muscat: An oil tanker with 15 Indians among its crew members was hit by a missile strike off the coast of Oman on Sunday. The incident reportedly left four people injured. The incident comes amid an eruption of fresh conflict in the Middle East as the US and Israel jointly carried out airstrikes on Iran.
The ongoing war between Israel and Iran in the Middle East has escalated tensions in the region. The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has sparked protests in several countries. Meanwhile, Iran attacked an oil tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, injuring four sailors and 15 Indian crew members. According to Oman's Maritime Security Center (MSC), the oil tanker, Skylight, was carrying a crew of 20, including 15 Indians and five Iranian nationals. The crew was evacuated after the attack, which occurred five nautical miles from Khasab Port in Musandam.
The state-run Oman News Agency said the attack targeted the Palau-flagged ship, Skylight. It identified the crew members as Indian and Iranian. The attack comes after officials said that since the US and Israel attacked Iran, Iran has been threatening ships passing through the Strait via radio. The Strait is so important that it carries approximately 20 percent of the world's oil.
According to maritime officials and an EU naval mission official, Iran's Revolutionary Guard has warned ships that passage through the strategic Strait of Hormuz is not permitted. Ships transiting this narrow waterway, which handles nearly a fifth of the world's oil exports, have received radio transmissions urging them to avoid transit amid escalating tensions following recent US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Although Tehran has not formally announced a closure, insurance companies are raising war-risk premiums, and major shipping companies have halted shipments. Global energy markets and maritime security are now under significant pressure.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Gulf to the Indian Ocean and lies between Iran and Oman's Musandam exclave, which sits at the tip of a peninsula. It is approximately 50 kilometers wide, and the waters are shallow, no more than 60 meters deep. The strait contains sparsely populated or desert islands that are strategically important, particularly the Iranian islands of Hormuz, Qeshm, and Larak. These include the disputed islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa, which lie between the UAE and Iran and offer a spectacular view of the Gulf, and have been under Iranian control since 1971.
This strait is a vital corridor connecting the oil-rich Gulf to markets in Asia, Europe, North America, and elsewhere. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important oil chokepoints. The EIA warned that a large amount of oil flows through the strait, and if the strait closes, there are few alternatives to remove the oil. According to the EIA, more than 80 percent of the oil and gas passing through the strait is destined for Asian markets. China, a major supporter of Tehran, buys more than 90 percent of Iran's oil exports.
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