NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to convey India’s strong objections to US Navy attacks in the Gulf that resulted in the deaths of three Indian mariners.Describing the incidents as unacceptable, Jaishankar said commercial shipping should not be subjected to such actions.In a post on X, 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.”His remarks came in the aftermath of a US military strike on the commercial tanker MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman, which claimed the lives of three Indian crew members.The vessel was targeted on Wednesday after US forces alleged that it had breached the naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports. Of the 24 Indian nationals aboard the tanker, 21 were rescued, while three were later confirmed dead.Separately, the Ministry of External Affairs summoned US Charge d’Affaires Jason Meeks on Friday to register a strong diplomatic protest over continued attacks on commercial vessels operating off the Omani coast.The move followed another incident a day earlier involving a commercial ship carrying 20 Indian crew members that came under attack in the region. It marked the second occasion on which the US mission in New Delhi had been called in over the worsening maritime security situation.The MEA had earlier confirmed that the three Indian seafarers killed aboard MT Settebello had been identified and said efforts were underway to repatriate their mortal remains at the earliest opportunity.Addressing the issue, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “These attacks came from the US Navy that is stationed there. As you would have seen in the various reports, as also in what was clarified through our statements and otherwise from this podium, the three ships that have been involved in the incidents are foreign-flagged.”
