Indian national killed in Iran 'suicide' boat attack against US-owned oil tanker 'Safesea Vishnu' near Iraq

(File photo)

An Indian national was reportedly killed in an attack carried out by Iran using a "suicide" boat against a US-owned oil tanker 'Safesea Vishnu' near Iraq.

US-owned and Marshal Island-flagged oil tanker Safesea Vishnu was attacked off Khor Al Zubair port inside Iraq’s territorial waters, sources told PTI.

JUST IN: An oil tanker is burning in the Persian Gulf tonight. The IRGC claimed responsibility. Read that again. Not denied. Not attributed by intelligence analysts. Not inferred from drone signatures. Claimed. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard publicly announced that it struck a… pic.twitter.com/emXzJnEl6Z

— Shanaka Anslem Perera ⚡ (@shanaka86) March 11, 2026

The Indian national has not been identified yet. He was onboard the oil tanker along with 27 other crew members, who have now been rescued and taken to Basra.

Sources close to Safesea, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the company is devastated to learn of the loss of the Indian national in the attack.

They have called for the Indian government to strongly condemn the attack and take urgent action to ensure the safety of crews onboard ships in the region amid the escalating West Asia conflict.

The sources voiced concern that, as Indians constitute over 15 per cent of the seafarers globally, irrespective of whichever ship Iran targets, Indian nationals will be "collateral damage", PTI reported.

So far, at least three Indian nationals have been confirmed killed and more than 20 others injured in Iranian strikes during the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war, which entered its 13th day on Thursday.