I will come home safely – Patnala Bhargavi, a 39-year-old mother from Visakhapatnam, recalls the final words of her husband, Patnala Suresh, an Indian sailor, who was slain in a US military strike near the Gulf of Oman this week. “He said he would be back soon. I never thought he’d return like this,” she told the BBC, her voice trembling. The couple had planned to mark their 15th wedding anniversary this month, but now they mourn a future without him. Suresh, one of three Indian crew members killed in the attack, was on board the MT Settebello, an oil tanker, when the US strike occurred on Wednesday. His death has stirred sorrow across India, from the coastal city of Visakhapatnam to distant villages where families of other seafarers are also grieving.

The US military targeted the MT Settebello as part of its campaign to disrupt Iran-linked maritime traffic. Officials…