Jun 13, 2026 13:39 pm IST

Opinion | Why No 'Law' Can Bring Justice For 3 Indian Sailors Killed In US Attack

This is Trump's war, and he will do whatever it is that he wants with his 'big beautiful' navy.

Tara Kartha Tara Kartha Columnist

Tara Kartha Columnist

The tragic death of three Indian sailors in US attacks on a ship as part of its blockade of Iran has raised a storm of outrage, and not without  reason. Never has the US been more unpopular in a country that normally is extremely friendly to Americans, even imitative of their culture. There are few equivalents in recent history of the use of extreme violence against civilian shipping, where completely unarmed sailors were targeted in what is not even a declared war. This is a dangerous trend. Others are watching.

That Bland Announcement

The US Central Command has since notified the hits. It says it 'disabled' an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on June 10 after it attempted to transport Iranian oil. In other words, it was in Omani waters, after "the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces". Two more were 'disabled': Palau-flagged vessels Marivex and Settebello were hit, the first for attempting to sail to an Iranian port and the latter for "attempting" to transport Iranian oil. That means it was sailing empty, and was specifically in Oman's waters. Since the US is not at war with Oman, the whole operation needs to be examined in detail. 

Let's break this situation up.

International laws of war lack clarity especially since they have evolved over time - what is called customary international law - in terms of actual practice. True, a merchant ship is generally seen as a civilian entity with no links to an ongoing war. But Article 52(2) of Additional Protocol I (AP I) to the Geneva Conventions defines military objectives as "those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage". While this was applicable to warfare on the whole, certainly, it seems that in this case, the sale of oil was crucial to Iran's fighting capability,........

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