US President Donald Trump expressed his condolences over the killing of three Indian sailors who were killed in US attacks on commercial ships off the coast of Oman, describing seafaring as a “hard profession.”
When asked during a joint media interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi if he had a message for the families of Indian sailors killed in the strikes, Trump said: “Yes, I do. I’ve heard about that. It’s a tough job.”
He also added, “This has been happening all the time, but we work together. We love all these people. They are great people.”
The remarks came as Modi and Trump met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, their first in-person meeting in 16 months amid souring bilateral relations and concerns over the deaths of Indian crew members in the US attacks.
The Palau-flagged MT Setibelo was among three tankers targeted by US forces this week. Later, the Omani Armed Forces rescued the surviving crew members, including 21 Indians on board the ship.
Among the dead was 23-year-old Aditya Sharma from Himachal Pradesh, a deck cadet undergoing training to become a licensed ship’s officer.
More than 60 Indian crew members were rescued from the three damaged ships – 24 from MT Marivex, 21 from MT Settebello and 20 from MT Jalveer.
Modi raises safety of seafarers
During his opening remarks, Modi praised Trump’s role in efforts to restore peace in the wake of the Iran-US conflict, and urged greater attention to the safety of sailors with the signing of the peace agreement in France on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister highlighted the role of Indian seafarers on global trade routes, including through the Strait of Hormuz, and stressed that “their safety is of utmost importance to us.”
Referring to maritime security, Modi noted that India and the United States agreed on the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. “We must work together and focus specifically on this,” he added.
Addressing Trump directly, Modi added: “Mr. President, I have made tremendous efforts towards reaching this understanding and I am confident that this agreement will guarantee the security of sailors and that this issue will be a priority.”
This was the second time in two days that Modi raised the issue of the safety of Indian sailors in Trump’s presence following the attacks on the three merchant ships carrying nearly 70 Indian crew members.
First live meeting in 16 months
Although Modi and Trump spoke several times on phone since their previous meeting and interacted briefly during the G7 engagement session at Evian on Tuesday, this was their first face-to-face meeting since Modi traveled to Washington soon after Trump’s inauguration last year.
The meeting comes at a sensitive time in bilateral relations. Indo-American relations faced great tension over the past year after the US imposed 50 percent tariffs on Indian exports. The killing of three Indian sailors in the US strikes added another point of tension between the two countries.
India has already expressed its concerns about the attacks through diplomatic channels. The Ministry of External Affairs summoned the top US diplomat twice to protest the strikes, while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also discussed the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call.
