Three Indian sailors killed in US strike near Oman, as US and Iran exchange fire

Three Indian sailors were killed after a US strike on the Palau-flagged Settebello, New Delhi’s Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has announced, describing it as "deeply unfortunate," according to a BBC report Thursday.

On Wednesday, US Central Command said it had disabled the oil tanker, accusing it of violating the ongoing blockade of the shipping channel the Strait of Hormuz.

India's government had initially said three Indian sailors were missing and 21 Indian crew members had been rescued.

Meanwhile, the Indian embassy in Oman said it was investigating a separate incident involving a vessel off the Shinas port in Oman, which took place in the early hours of Thursday morning.

It's the latest in a series of strikes on vessels operating around the coast of Oman this week – on Monday, the US said it disabled a different oil tanker, another Palau-flagged vessel, the Marivex.

The ceasefire between the US and Iran is under increasing strain after the two sides exchanged fire for a second consecutive day on Wednesday, with both sides targeting military sites.

Despite the escalation of strikes, three Iranian sources told Reuters this morning that diplomatic efforts had intensified, with negotiations centring around the release of frozen Iranian funds.