NEW DELHI: India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar spoke directly to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and lodged a strong diplomatic protest with the United States after a US Navy strike on a commercial oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman killed three Indian seafarers. Speaking to his US counterpart Rubio on Friday evening, the EAM firmly stated that “such lethal actions against commercial shipping are ‘not justified'”.
In a clear message posted on the social media platform X, EAM Jaishankar 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.” Earlier on Friday, the United States’ Charge d’Affaires (CDA) in New Delhi, Jason Meeks, was formally summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) headquarters.
During the meeting, a powerful protest was registered with the US representative regarding the continuing kinetic actions by United States’ naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian sailors in the Gulf of Oman, which have already resulted in the tragic and avoidable loss of three Indian lives, the MEA said in an official statement. The Ministry once again conveyed its deep resentment over the deployment of deadly force against civilian shipping infrastructure, adding that “such actions are unacceptable and undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce in a sensitive region at a difficult time”. The US’ CDA was requested to immediately convey India’s urgent concerns to his high-level authorities in Washington and to ensure that US forces operating in the region take all necessary protocols to prevent the loss of civilian life.
The high-level diplomatic intervention was initiated after Indian authorities officially confirmed that the three crew members initially reported missing following the US military strike had been found dead. The Palau-flagged oil tanker Settebello was carrying a crew of 28 people when it was targeted by the American warplane. The crew profile included 24 Indian nationals and four foreign nationals consisting of two Pakistanis, one Ukrainian, and one Russian. While 21 Indian sailors were successfully rescued after the crisis, intense efforts to locate the missing crew members continued until their tragic deaths were formally confirmed.
The US military has openly acknowledged carrying out the kinetic strike on the civilian vessel. According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces targeted the commercial tanker after it allegedly failed to comply with direct maritime instructions from US naval personnel and was attempting to transport crude oil from Iran in direct violation of an ongoing American economic blockade. In a detailed statement, CENTCOM confirmed that one of its military aircraft fired upon the vessel in the Gulf of Oman, disabling it after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with defensive directions from US forces.
The high-seas strike occurred amid severely heightened geopolitical tensions in the region, where competing maritime restrictions imposed during the ongoing West Asia conflict have crippled commercial shipping corridors. India has strongly criticized the nature of the attack, emphasizing that the vessel was carrying a large contingent of Indian citizens and was purely engaged in routine commercial activity. The MEA noted that attacks on merchant shipping in the critical waterway are “deeply concerning” and fundamentally “linked to the broader conflict in the Middle East.” The Ministry concluded its statement by reiterating its call for immediate regional de-escalation.
ലഘു വിവരണം
ഒമാൻ ഉൾക്കടലിൽ യുഎസ് നാവികസേന നടത്തിയ മിസൈലാക്രമണത്തിൽ മൂന്ന് ഇന്ത്യൻ നാവികർ കൊല്ലപ്പെട്ട സംഭവത്തിൽ ഭാരതത്തിന്റെ കടുത്ത പ്രതിഷേധം വിദേശകാര്യമന്ത്രി എസ്. ജയശങ്കർ യുഎസ് വിദേശകാര്യ സെക്രട്ടറി മാർക്കോ റൂബിയോയെ ഫോണിൽ വിളിച്ച് നേരിട്ടറിയിച്ചു. വാണിജ്യ കപ്പലുകൾക്ക് നേരെയുള്ള ഇത്തരം ആക്രമണങ്ങൾ ഒട്ടും ന്യായീകരിക്കാനാവില്ലെന്ന് വ്യക്തമാക്കിയ ഇന്ത്യ, ഡൽഹിയിലെ യുഎസ് പ്രതിനിധിയെ വിളിച്ചുവരുത്തിയും പ്രതിഷേധം രേഖപ്പെടുത്തി. ഉപരോധം ലംഘിച്ച് ഇറാനിൽ നിന്ന് എണ്ണ കടത്തിയതിനാണ് കപ്പൽ ആക്രമിച്ചതെന്ന യുഎസ് വാദം തള്ളിയ ഇന്ത്യ, പശ്ചിമേഷ്യയിലെ യുദ്ധസാഹചര്യങ്ങൾ അടിയന്തിരമായി ലഘൂകരിക്കണമെന്ന് ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ടു.
(With inputs from NDTV)
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