The Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday said that one Indian is missing and ten have been rescued after a commercial vessel was attacked off the coast of Oman amid the war in West Asia.

The vessel, GFS Galaxy, was attacked on Sunday morning, the ministry said.

The vessel had been disabled by fire and damage to its engine room, AFP quoted US Central Command as saying. The US has also accused Tehran of attacking the ship.

The crew abandoned the vessel and boarded a lifeboat, the news agency quoted United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations as saying.

The Indian foreign ministry said that continuing attacks on commercial shipping in the region are “deeply worrisome”. It called for the de-escalation of tensions and for the “conclusion of ongoing negotiations for a diplomatic solution so that peace and stability can return to the region”.

“The targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end, and free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the international waterways in the region, in keeping with international law, must be restored at the earliest.”

The attack followed Tehran's announcement that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday and launching missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours in response to the latest US strikes.

Ceasefire in limbo

On Thursday, the US military launched fresh attacks on Iran hours after Trump said that the ceasefire was “over”. Iran retaliated by striking sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.

This came after tensions between the US and Iran escalated on Wednesday after the US launched strikes on Iran in response to Tehran’s alleged attacks a day earlier on three liquefied natural gas and crude oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

On June 15, the US and Iran arrived at an interim agreement to stop the fighting and reopen the strait for commercial vessels. They also held talks in Switzerland aimed at reaching a final peace deal within two months.

However, the two countries have again exchanged several rounds of fire, as well as threats of recriminations, over the past week.

Written by Anamika Pathak. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.