The US military on Thursday declared that it had attacked the Jalveer (IMO: 9486283), an asphalt tanker that had been carrying about 20 Indian sailors.

The attack on the Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship, which took a hit off the coast of Oman at about 11:20 PM EST on June 10 (9:50 AM IST on June 11), is said to have "disabled" the vessel, which the US alleged was in violation of its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.

Visuals released by the Central Command (CENTCOM) of the US military show the two Hellfire missiles fired into the ship’s engine room, leading to explosions onboard.

This is the third strike by the US this week on commercial vessels carrying Indian sailors, after its aircraft struck the Marivex (IMO: 9464156) on Monday and the Settebello (IMO: 9162916) the very next day.

CENTCOM claimed that both Palau-flagged ships had violated its blockade in the Persian Gulf—the Marivex had allegedly tried to reach an Iranian port, while the Settebello had reportedly been carrying Iranian oil.

India's shipping ministry confirmed on Thursday that evacuations are already underway for the 20 Indian sailors aboard the Jalveer, and that there had been no casualties.

"As per the latest information, the evacuation of crew members to Shinas port has commenced. Six more are to be evacuated," said Additional Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Mukesh Mangal, in a press conference on Thursday.

The recent attacks have also led to a strong response from India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), with the attack on the Settebello prompting New Delhi to summon US Chargé d'Affaires (CA) Jason Meeks to formally lodge a protest.

“We attach high importance to the welfare and well-being of our seafarers' community. We need not re-emphasise this point. Yesterday, we condemned the attack on a ship off the coast of Oman in which, unfortunately, we lost three Indian nationals,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a presser today.

"These attacks must cease and end," he added, calling for an end to the three-month-long war.

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