External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and lodged a strong protest over US Navy attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf that resulted in the deaths of three Indian mariners, escalating diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Washington.
Jaishankar, who is currently on a visit to Europe, raised India's concerns during a phone conversation with Rubio following a series of attacks on merchant ships carrying Indian crew members off the coast of Oman.
"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," the external affairs minister said on social media.
"Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified," he said.
The conversation came a day after India summoned US Charge d'Affaires Jason Meeks and conveyed that American military strikes on commercial vessels carrying Indian crew members were unacceptable.
Three vessels with Indian crew members have come under attack off the Oman coast this week. On June 10, the US struck the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello, killing three of the 24 Indian sailors on board. Earlier, on June 8, another Palau-flagged oil tanker, Marivex, carrying 24 Indian seafarers, was disabled by US forces, though all crew members were rescued safely.
A third vessel, Jalveer, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker carrying 20 Indian crew members, was attacked on Thursday.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump accused Iran of carrying out drone attacks on Indian ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz and termed the action unacceptable.
"Their (Iran's) totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. They better get their act together and FAST," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
India's latest diplomatic intervention underscores growing concern over the safety of Indian seafarers operating in the strategically vital Gulf region amid escalating tensions and military actions involving commercial shipping.
