Guwahati, June 9 -- By NE NOW NEWS

Guwahati: Twenty-four Indian seafarers were rescued off the coast of Oman on Monday after a U.S. military strike damaged the oil tanker Marivex, sanctioned by the U.S. for Iran links, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel.

The Palau-flagged tanker caught fire after what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) described as a precision strike targeting the vessel's engineering and steering spaces in the Gulf of Oman.

In a statement, CENTCOM said U.S. forces acted after the tanker allegedly violated an ongoing blockade against Iran by attempting to sail to an Iranian port. It said an F/A-18 Super Hornet operating from the USS Abraham Lincoln fired a precision munition after the crew failed to comply with directi...