After strike on India-bound vessel, MEA says it deplores attacks on commercial shipping

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...

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