NEW DELHI, June 11 - Three Indian sailors have died in a U.S. military operation to halt a tanker off Oman as part of Washington’s efforts to blockade Iran-linked shipping, Indian authorities said on Thursday.

The deaths are the first reported since the blockade began on April 13, operations which have seen the U.S. disable eight ships and turn back more than 100 others.

Separately, the Indian embassy in Oman on Thursday reported an incident involving another tanker off Oman.

Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed the three sailors had died.

"Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified," Sonowal said.

The U.S. military's Central Command (Centcom) said a U.S. aircraft had carried out a precision strike on the Palau-flagged oil products tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman.

It "fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces", Centcom said.

India's foreign ministry on Wednesday condemned the attack and said 21 Indian sailors had been rescued.

INDIA SUMMONS U.S. DIPLOMAT TO PROTEST

The Omani Navy responded to the Settebello’s distress call after it reported an engine fire following the U.S. strike, British maritime risk management group Vanguard said.

India summoned the U.S. deputy chief of mission to the country after lodging a "strong protest" over the incident, two Indian sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

Family members of Shivanand Chaurasia, one of the sailors who died, told reporters he had gone to sea about nine months ago and had told his father earlier this week that everything was fine.

The U.S. attacks on vessels carrying Indian seafarers come ahead of next week's Group of Seven summit where Indian Prime Minister Naren...