India on Friday summoned the top US diplomat in New Delhi for the second time this week to protest attacks by US forces on commercial ships in West Asia that killed three Indian sailors, reflecting growing public anger over the issue.
US Charge d’Affairs Jason Meeks was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs around 2pm, and Additional Secretary (Americas) Nagaraj Naidu registered a strong protest against the US attacks that continued even after Meeks was summoned on Wednesday, people familiar with the matter said.
“A strong protest was lodged with [Meeks] “With regard to the ongoing attacks by the US Navy on merchant ships 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 of External Affairs said in a statement.
The Ministry once again expressed its deep concern about 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.”
The statement added that Meeks was asked to convey “India’s grave concerns to his authorities and ensure that US forces operating in the region take all necessary measures to prevent the loss of civilian lives.”
The summons came a day after US forces targeted the tanker MT Gulliver, which includes an Indian crew of 20, off the port of Shinas in Oman on Thursday. Meeks was at the ministry for about 40 minutes, the people said.
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 Setipelo were Palau-flagged while Galvier was Guinea-Bissau-flagged – but all had Indian crew members.
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.
The Omani Armed Forces rescued more than 60 Indian crew members on board the three ships, including 24 from Marivex, 21 from Sitibello and 20 from Gulliver.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the attack on Setibelo, although it did not say who was behind the attack.
Public anger has grown over the attacks by the United States – India’s partner in the Quad and a strategic partner in efforts to ensure an open and free Indo-Pacific – especially after the killing of the three sailors. In a post on social media, former Foreign Minister Kanwal Sibal called for putting pressure on the United States instead of defending its “actions at the expense of Indian lives.”
“Whatever Iran’s sins, the US blockade is illegal.” Sibal also noted that US Central Command expressed “no regret” over the killing of the Indian sailors.
