NEW DELHI: India on Sunday condemned an attack on the commercial vessel MT El Gaia off the coast of Oman, saying 13 of the 14 Indian crew members onboard had been rescued while search and rescue operations continued for the missing Indian national.The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said the Indian Embassy in Oman was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with Omani authorities. The statement came as an Iranian cargo vessel was also reported to have been struck off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iranian state media reporting one death and four injuries.“We condemn the attack on the commercial vessel MT El Gaia off the coast of Oman earlier today. Of the 14 Indian crew onboard, 13 Indians have been rescued so far. Search and Rescue operations for the missing Indian national are continuing,” the MEA said.The ministry said it had reiterated India’s call for immediate de-escalation and the use of dialogue and diplomacy to restore peace in the region.The MEA said the targeting of commercial shipping, seafarers, civilians and civilian infrastructure in the region was unacceptable.“We reiterate our call for immediate de-escalation of tensions and pursuance of dialogue and diplomacy to bring peace to the region. The targeting of commercial shipping, seafarers, civilians, and civilian infrastructure in the region is unacceptable,” it said.India also called for the restoration of safe navigation and commercial traffic through international waterways in the region.“We also urge that free and safe navigation and flow of commerce through the international waterways in the region be restored at the earliest,” the MEA said.The Indian statement came amid renewed tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, where an Iranian cargo vessel was reportedly struck early Sunday near Qeshm Island.Iranian state media said the attack killed one person and wounded four others. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations monitor separately said a vessel had been hit by a projectile while transiting the strait, triggering a fire and an evacuation operation, although it was not immediately clear whether it was the same incident.Iran’s state-run IRNA quoted the governor of Qeshm as blaming a “terrorist enemy” for the attack.Hours before the reported strike, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said: “Our people can’t be bullied into submission. Iran won’t surrender,” according to a social media post.
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