The US will not tolerate any violations of its blockade of Iranian ports and commercial shipping must comply with orders from US forces, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, when called on by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar to protest the killing of three Indian sailors in “unprovoked” US attacks on ships, said.
Jaishankar and Rubio spoke late Friday, hours after the External Affairs Department summoned US Charge d’Affaires Jason Meeks for the second time in three days to protest US attacks on merchant ships with Indian crew members. A US raid on the Palau-flagged ship MT Settebello on June 9 killed three Indian sailors.
The State Department’s brief readout of the conversation on Saturday included no mention of the deaths of the Indian sailors – let alone an expression of regret – nor any acknowledgment of New Delhi’s concerns.
After speaking to Rubio, Jaishankar said in a short social media post early Saturday morning that he “reiterated India’s strong protest against the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that resulted in the death of three Indian sailors.”
He reiterated New Delhi’s position that commercial ships should not be targeted and there should be unhindered freedom of navigation and trade, adding that “such lethal measures against commercial shipping are not justified.”
The statement issued by US State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott noted that the two leaders discussed “recent events in the Strait of Hormuz,” and said that Rubio “stressed that all commercial vessels must immediately comply with orders from US forces as they seek to support peace and security in the Strait.”
Rubio also stressed that “violations of the US blockade and the illicit transfer of Iranian oil will not be tolerated.”
The stock exchange pointed to ongoing tensions in India-US relations, which reached their lowest levels in more than two decades last year due to President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 50% tariffs on Indian exports, including a 25% fine on Russian oil purchases. Tensions eased somewhat after the two sides reached an understanding in February on the framework of a bilateral trade agreement, including a reduction in tariffs imposed by Trump.
The US response sparked criticism in political and diplomatic circles, with Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, a former deputy foreign secretary, expressing shock at the US reading, which he said contained “absolutely no expression of regret or condolence for the loss of innocent Indian lives”.
“How could a ‘friend’ and strategic partner be so insensitive? Why wasn’t a non-compliant merchant ship stopped using other, non-lethal means?” Tharoor said on social media. “Virtually every merchant ship sailing these vital waters has an Indian crew on board. Are they all fair game for US missiles now?”
In a social media post, former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal said Rubio’s “extremely harsh response” “implicitly justifies the killing of Indian sailors.” He stressed that the United States “does not support peace and security in the Strait” and is “the reason for destabilizing peace and security there through its initial attacks on Iran.”
Sibal said there was “not even a formal remorse for the killing of unarmed civilian citizens of a friendly country” and that Rubio “ignored us.”
US forces targeted three foreign-flagged commercial ships with Indian crew on board off the coast of Oman this week, killing three Indian sailors and sparking public outrage in the country. The Omani Armed Forces rescued 65 Indian crew members on board these three ships.
On Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs summoned Meeks – who is acting US Ambassador Sergio Gore outside the country – for the second time since Wednesday, and Additional Secretary (Americas) Nagaraj Naidu registered a strong protest against the ongoing US attacks on merchant ships with Indian crew members.
“A strong protest was lodged with [Meeks] “With regard to the ongoing attacks by the US Navy on commercial vessels carrying Indian sailors in the Gulf of Oman, which have already resulted in the tragic and avoidable loss of the lives of three Indians,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Indian side once again expressed its deep concern over the “use of lethal and lethal force” against civilian ships. The statement added, “Such actions are unacceptable and undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime trade in a sensitive region at a difficult time.”
Meeks was asked to convey India’s “strong concerns to his authorities and ensure that US forces operating in the region take all necessary measures to prevent loss of civilian lives.”
Meeks was summoned to the ministry for the second time after US forces targeted the MT Gulliver, an oil tanker with a 20-member Indian crew, off the port of Shinas in Oman on Thursday.
US Central Command said it took action to “disable” three ships this week – the MT Marivex on June 8, the MT Settebello on June 9, and the MT Jalveer on June 11 – because they were trying to violate the US blockade of Iranian ports. An American fighter plane fired two Hellfire missiles at Gulliver’s engine room to disable it.
None of the three ships were Indian-flagged – Marivex and Settebello were Palau-flagged while Jalveer was Guinea-Bissau-flagged – but all members of the crew were Indian.
Three crew members of the Indian vessel Settebello, who were reported missing, were confirmed dead on Thursday, hours after US forces struck the Gulliver. Among the dead was Aditya Sharma, a 23-year-old resident of Himachal Pradesh, who was a deck cadet or cadet training to become a licensed ship officer.
