Oil tanker with 15 Indians on board hit by missile attack off Oman coast, 4 injured

New Delhi: An oil tanker with 15 Indian nationals on board was hit by a missile attack amidst the ongoing military operations in West Asia. At least 4 injuries were reported, and the injured have been provided medical treatment.

The tanker was hit while it was cruising near the coast of Oman, close to the Strait of Hormuz.

Amid escalating tensions in the Gulf, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards had issued a statement saying the Strait was no longer open for transport, indicating Iran was preparing to choke the energy supply from half a dozen oil-producing US allies in the Gulf.

The Strait of Hormuz accounts for almost a fifth of the total global trade. Almost 20% of the oil and gas tankers in transit pass through the narrow passage between Iran and Oman.

The Strait of Hormuz accounts for almost a fifth of the total global trade.

The channel, 33 km wide at its narrowest point, provides the only sea route link between OPEC nations such as Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Iraq, and the Arabian Sea and North America and Western Europe through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

The Strait lies between Oman and Iran. It links the Gulf to the north with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond, with the shipping lanes just 2 miles (3 km) wide in either direction.