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In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Jaishankar said he had spoken to Rubio and conveyed India’s objections over the attack.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar
India lodged a strong diplomatic protest with the United States after a US Navy strike on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman killed three Indian seafarers, prompting External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to raise the issue directly with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Jaishankar said he had spoken to Rubio and conveyed India’s objections over the attack. He wrote, “Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India’s strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified.”
The diplomatic intervention comes after Indian authorities confirmed that three crew members initially reported missing following the strike have been found dead. Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal described the deaths as a “tragic” loss and said the bodies of the missing sailors had been recovered and identified. The deceased were identified as deck cadet Aditya Sharma, engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya and chief engineer Patnala Suresh.
The Palau-flagged oil tanker Settebello had a crew of 28 people when it was attacked. The crew included 24 Indian nationals and four foreign nationals- two Pakistanis, one Ukrainian and one Russian. Twenty-one Indian sailors were rescued after the incident, while efforts to locate the missing crew members continued until their deaths were confirmed.
“This is a profound loss to our maritime family,” Sonowal said in a statement. He added that the government had directed officials to ensure the immediate repatriation of the rescued crew members and the swift return of the bodies of the deceased to their families.
US Says Tanker Violated Blockade
The US military acknowledged carrying out the strike on the vessel. According to US Central Command, American forces targeted the tanker after it allegedly failed to comply with instructions from US naval personnel and was attempting to transport oil from Iran in violation of an ongoing American blockade.
In a statement, CENTCOM said one of its aircraft fired on the vessel in the Gulf of Oman, disabling it after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces.
The strike occurred amid heightened tensions in the region, where competing maritime restrictions imposed during the ongoing West Asia conflict have severely disrupted commercial shipping.
India Condemns Attack On Commercial Shipping
India has strongly criticized the attack, emphasising that the vessel was carrying a large number of Indian nationals and was engaged in commercial activity. The Ministry of External Affairs said attacks on merchant shipping in the region are deeply concerning and linked to the broader conflict in the Middle East.
“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,” the MEA said.
Delhi, India, India
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