Indian sailor killed in Hormuz attack; FSUI asks, 'How long will we keep counting deaths?'

An Indian crew member was killed and eight others were injured after two Emirati oil tankers came under attack by Iranian cruise missiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry said the tankers, the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were targeted in ‌the southern lane of the strait while in Omani territorial waters. The deceased crew member was aboard the Mombasa.

Hours before the sailor's death was officially confirmed, the Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI) in a post on X expressed concerns over the growing number of Indian seafarers caught in the conflict. The union questioned how long India would continue "counting the deaths of our seafarers" and urged the government to take stronger action to protect merchant sailors operating in the increasingly volatile region.

"How long will we keep counting the deaths of our seafarers? When will the government act?" read the X post by FSUI.

'Strait of Hormuz becoming increasingly dangerous'

It further listed the vessels involving Indian crew that came under attack, including MT Settebello, MT Marivex, MT Jalveer, MT Safesea Vishnu and Mombasa, while calling for a stronger intervention through international bodies such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

"One after another, our brave Indian seafarers are losing their lives. The Strait of Hormuz has become increasingly dangerous. Families are grieving, and in many cases, the bodies of those killed have not even been brought home," the post read further.

The UAE's defence ministry further mentioned that of the eight ‌wounded, four were seriously injured. Six of the wounded were Indian nationals and ‌two ⁠were Ukrainian nationals.

"The attack also caused material damage to both tankers as a result of the fires that broke out on board, which have since been brought under control," the post by UAE's defence ministry read. While condemning the attack it said the UAE retained "its full right to respond to ​this escalation".

Renewed hostilities in Gulf

The attack came amid renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran in West Asia. The latest escalation came after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a vessel in the Strait after which Trump declared the ceasefire with Tehran was "over". The US also launched strikes against Tehran last week.

Iran retaliated by targeting Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Bahrain, home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, sounded missile-alert sirens after coming under renewed attack, according to the Associated Press. Jordan said it intercepted four missiles that entered its airspace from Iran, according to the country's state news agency.

Multiple reports citing Kpler data said traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was slowing again, with confirmed crossings declining by around 52% week-on-week between July 10 and 12.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said Washington was reinstating its blockade of Iranian shipping in the Gulf and would ensure the Strait of Hormuz remained open, warning that US forces would strike Iran "very hard" following the latest exchange of missile and drone attacks between the two countries.

Battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz

The latest round of confrontation has intensified the battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's crude oil and natural gas shipments passed daily before the conflict escalated. The heightened tensions have also rattled energy markets, with benchmark Brent crude rising 7.8% to $81.92 a barrel, although still below the nearly $120-a-barrel peak recorded at the height of the conflict, according to the Associated Press.

On July 12, the US Central Command said it had resumed strikes against Iranian targets, adding in a social media post that the operations would "continue imposing a high cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz".

Meanwhile in a post on Truth Social, Trump said that the US was reimposing the "Iran blockade" and the commercial ships would be charged "at a rate of 20% on all cargo transported", through the Strait but did not explain how this would work.

"The Strait of Hormuz is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reimposing the IRAN BLOCKADE," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The United States, from now on, will be known as the 'GUARD OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT', but as such, and as a matter of JUSTICE, will be replaced by a loss, with a 20 percent tariff for all cargo sent," he added.