India on Wednesday expressed concern about a Thai-flagged cargo ship bound for the Indian port of Kandla being attacked by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.
Commercial shipping should not be targeted and civilian crew members should not be endangered in the course of the conflict in West Asia, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The dry bulk vessel Mayuree Naree was on Wednesday hit by “two projectiles of unknown origin” while it was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman, The Indian Express quoted the ship’s operator, Precious Shipping, as saying.
Later, Iran confirmed that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired at Mayuree Naree, the Hindustan Times reported.
Since the conflict began, Iran has been blocking most commercial ships from crossing the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterbody that connects the Gulf to the Arabian Sea and is the world’s biggest oil chokepoint.
Commenting on the attack, India’s foreign ministry said: “India deplores the fact that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attacks in the ongoing conflict in West Asia.”
Statement regarding ship bound for Kandla, India ⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/CdtmMXAdPY pic.twitter.com/xVK9AymYn2
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) March 11, 2026 The ministry also reiterated that “targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided”.
It added that “precious lives, including those of Indian citizens, have already been lost in multiple such attacks in the earlier phase of this conflict and the intensity and lethality of the attacks only seems to be increasing”.
In a press conference on Wednesday, the ministry had said that two Indians had been killed and one was missing in incidents involving merchant ships since the conflict began.
Mayuree Naree had left Khalifa Port in the United Arab Emirates and was traversing the Strait of Hormuz when it was hit by a projectile, the Hindustan Times reported.
The attack caused a fire and damaged the engine room. Three crew members were missing and believed to be trapped inside. The ship’s operator said that 20 crew members had been evacuated to Oman and that it was working with the authorities to rescue the missing crew, The Indian Express reported.
The conflict in West Asia began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched an attack on the Iranian government. Tehran has retaliated by launching missiles and drones at targets in the Gulf, including US bases and major cities in the region.
Israel has been claiming that Iran is close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could alter the regional security balance.
Tehran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.
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