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Can India react to Gulf sailors’ deaths like China did with US after 1999 embassy bombing?
Beijing’s reaction to the Belgrade incident could be a template for New Delhi, but some analysts warn it faces very different circumstances
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Khushboo Razdanin WashingtonPublished: 10:58am, 16 Jun 2026
The images were difficult to ignore. A viral video showed the body of a 35-year-old Indian seafarer on a vessel off Oman, with crew members using cold water bottles in a desperate attempt to slow the decomposition process.
He had died last Thursday from medical complications, but it had not been possible to send help or evacuate him from the ship because of the US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
The previous day, three more Indian sailors were killed when a tanker moored nearby was bombed after US Central Command said it “repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces”.Advertisement
That same week, US strikes disabled two more Indian-crewed vessels, but all those on board survived.
These incidents have caused growing anger in India and raised questions about its ability to respond effectively to America’s actions.
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Tensions were further fuelled by Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s response to India’s protests. He offered no apology, instead warning ships not to defy “orders” from the United States Navy.
Around 18,000 Indian sailors are reported to be in the entire Gulf region.
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