In a statement, the Indian foreign ministry condemned the attack on the vessel, the Settebello, saying: "Of the 24 Indian crew onboard, 21 Indians have been rescued thus far and three Indians are reportedly missing".

"Attacks on shipping in the region are deeply worrisome and a direct result of the ongoing conflict in the region. We reiterate our call for immediate de-escalation," it added.

Later, the United States military said one of its warplanes had fired on the tanker in the Gulf of Oman, disabling the vessel as it attempted to transport oil from Iran.

US Central Command said in a post on X, identifying the Palau-flagged Settebello, that the "crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces".

India summoned Washington's charge d'affaires in New Delhi to lodge a "strong protest" over the attack, a senior Indian government official told AFP.

A critical waterway for global fuel supplies, the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf has been almost completely blocked since the start of the Middle East war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.

Talks during a fragile ceasefire in place over recent weeks have failed to deliver a deal to reopen the strait.

While Iran has blockaded the shipping lane since the war began, the US has also enforced its own competing blockade since April.

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported an incident 20 nautical miles northeast of Sohar in Oman, saying the vessel had reported one casualty and two crew members missing.

"Local authorities have reported a tanker has experienced a fire in their engine room and are on the scene assisting with the evacuation of the crew," it said.

British maritime security company Vanguard Tech said the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello had "transmitted a distress call stating that its engine room had been struck by a missile while operating off Sohar in the Gulf of Oman" and that there was a fire on board.

On Monday, Omani authorities airlifted 24 Indian sailors off a tanker on fire off the coast of Oman, south of the capital Muscat, though there was no indication at the time of what sparked the fire.