Indian seafarer missing as ship hit in Strait of Hormuz, MEA condemns attack

📌 Summary:

• Iranian forces struck the Cyprus-flagged container ship M/V GFS Galaxy transiting the Strait of Hormuz; of the 11 Indian nationals on board, 10 were rescued and 1 is missing; the vessel caught fire and suffered significant engine room damage

• US Central Command launched its third round of strikes on Iran this week in response to the IRGC attack on the vessel

• MEA condemned the attack (without naming Iran), said targeting of civilian shipping and infrastructure must end, and called for restoration of free and unimpeded navigation through international waterways as per international law; Indian embassy in Oman is coordinating search and rescue with Omani authorities

• The West Asia war has claimed 11 Indian lives since it began on February 28; UKMTO said ships have been hugging the Oman shoreline to avoid Iranian territorial waters

• IRGC claimed vessels "disregarded warnings" to follow its approved route; escalation comes as EAM S Jaishankar tours Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain before heading to the US — Delhi's balancing between Tehran and Washington is key to safeguarding Indian seafarers

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 IR (India's West Asia policy, energy-security diplomacy, protection of diaspora/seafarers) & GS3 maritime security — freedom of navigation, chokepoint vulnerability

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman — world's most critical oil chokepoint
• UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations) monitors commercial shipping security in the region
• GFS Galaxy is a Cyprus-flagged container ship; IRGC = Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

🔑 Key Term: Freedom of navigation — the right under international law (UNCLOS) for ships to transit international waterways unimpeded; invoked by India for the Strait of Hormuz.