According to Iraf, on Thursday, May 14th, India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued an official statement describing the attack on an Indian-flagged cargo vessel in waters near Oman as “unacceptable.”
New Delhi emphasized in the statement that targeting commercial ships and civilian sailors in the region is “alarming” and must be stopped.
Maritime monitoring agencies reported that the cargo ship, named Haji Ali, suffered an explosion on Wednesday south of the Strait of Hormuz and subsequently sank.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that all 14 crew members were rescued with the cooperation of Omani forces.
The maritime security company Vanguard stated that the vessel was transporting live livestock from Berbera port in Somaliland to Sharjah port in the UAE and that the explosion appeared “suspicious,” likely caused by a drone or missile attack.
A maritime traffic tracking website described the ship as a 54-meter wooden launch.
The incident occurred in one of the world’s most sensitive waterways, a region whose security is directly linked to Iran’s naval operations.
In recent months, amid rising threats in Iran’s southern waterways, several commercial ships have been targeted by suspicious attacks. However, vessels that navigated the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with and following Iranian security guidelines passed without incident—a factor analysts cite as evidence of Tehran’s central role in maintaining stability in the waterway.
In this context, Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, who was simultaneously in New Delhi, emphasized in a speech—without directly referencing this incident—that “the Strait of Hormuz is open and secure for all commercial vessels cooperating with the Iranian Navy,” a statement observers interpreted as a reminder of Iran’s decisive role in securing this strategic passage.
