NEW DELHI: India summoned the senior US diplomat in New Delhi Friday to “lodge a protest” against attacks on commercial vessels off the coast of Oman. This is the second time in 48 hours that New Delhi has summoned the top US official.
The diplomatic move follows yet another incident on Thursday, where a commercial vessel with 20 Indian crew members on board came under attack in the region.
The US Charges d’Affaires Jason Meeks was called in by Additional Secretary (Americas) in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Three Indian seafarers, who were initially reported missing following one of the previous attacks, have now been confirmed dead.
This escalation marks New Delhi’s first public acknowledgement of the US Navy directly targeting commercial ships carrying Indian seafarers. According to official data, the American military targeted three foreign-flagged merchant vessels operating with Indian crew members off the coast of Oman over a four-day period.
Addressing the media during an inter-ministerial briefing on Wednesday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal detailed India’s sharp diplomatic pushback following the summoning of the US envoy.
“We attach high importance to the welfare and well-being of our seafaring community. When this particular attack on the ship MT Settebello occurred, we lodged a strong protest with the American side,” Jaiswal stated.
“We summoned the US Charge d’Affaires and he was conveyed our deepest concern over the ongoing incidents of attacks. We also registered our strong protest,” he said, firmly underscoring that these military actions “must stop” immediately.
New Delhi has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, urging a return to diplomatic channels to safeguard vital global shipping lanes.
“We further conveyed that dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward for the peaceful resolution of the conflict, and that there should be unimpeded access through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law,” Jaiswal asserted.
There are an estimated 20,000 seafarers aboard vessels stuck in the Gulf as Iran imposes restrictions on movements through the Strait of Hormuz. Eleven seafarers have been killed in the Gulf since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28, according to International Maritime Organization (IMO) data.
Traffic through the strait, which normally carries 20% of the world’s daily supply of crude oil and liquefied natural gas, has slowed to a handful of tankers.
India has one of the world’s largest merchant navy workforces, with thousands of Indian sailors operating in Gulf shipping lanes.
