New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said he spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday and conveyed India’s strong protest over US Navy strikes in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners.
“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,” Jaishankar wrote on X.
The outreach followed former President Donald Trump’s allegation that Iran was responsible for attacks on three vessels carrying Indian seafarers near the Strait of Hormuz. One of the strikes on Wednesday killed three Indian seafarers. Trump called the incident “totally unacceptable”, despite US Central Command saying the strikes were carried out by American naval forces.
New Delhi has also summoned the US Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires to formally lodge a protest.
Meanwhile, the Embassy of Iran in India on Saturday dismissed Trump’s allegation as “baseless”, accusing Washington of attempting to divert attention from recent attacks on commercial vessels carrying Indian seafarers.
In a post on X, the embassy’s official account wrote: “The U.S. president’s accusation against Iran regarding an Indian vessel in the Strait of Hormuz is simply baseless. It is an attempt to divert public attention from the brutal fact that the U.S. has attacked 3 Indian vessels in less than a week and killed 3 innocent Indian sailors. That’s pathetic!”
On Thursday, Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said three Indian mariners who were earlier reported missing after a US strike on a tanker off Oman have now been confirmed dead, while reports also emerged of a separate US strike on another merchant ship with Indian crew in the vicinity.
The three seafarers had been listed as missing after Omani authorities rescued the remaining 25 crew members, including 21 Indians, from the Palau‑flagged MT Settebello following a Wednesday attack by a US aircraft.
“It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello. Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified,” Sonowal said on social media.
He said he had directed officials to ensure immediate repatriation of the rescued crew and the swift return of the bodies of the deceased.
