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'Iranians must show some respect': Shashi Tharoor after attack on India-bound Thai ship
Shashi Tharoor's comments come after a Thai ship bound for Gujarat's Kandla port was attacked by Iran a day earlier.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that Iranians should “show some respect for those who have been friendly,” after a Thai cargo ship bound for Gujarat's Kandla port was hit by Tehran on Wednesday.
The Gujarat-bound ship, Mayuree Naree, operated by Precious Shipping, was struck by projectiles while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a fire, and damaging the engine room/.
“Already, a Thai ship bound for Kandla with Indian crew members onboard was hit twice... Iranians must show some respect for those who have been friendly and reasonable with them,” news agency ANI quoted Tharoor as saying.
He also stressed that the issue with the current conflict between Israel, the US and Iran is that “people are being dragged into this, whose war it isn't.”
India condemned Thai ship attack
Earlier, the external affairs ministry also condemned the attack on the Thai ship Mayuree Naree, saying that "India deplores" the targeting of commercial ships in the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
The Thai carrier caught fire, and three crew members remain missing while 20 others were rescued by the Royal Thai Navy and Oman’s authorities.
Also read: India denounces attacks on merchant shipping after Iran targets Kandla-bound vessel
Ministry of External Affairs at a briefing today said that EAM S Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to discuss the safety of shipping and energy security amid the escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passageway between Iran and Oman, used for shipping oil, has become a flashpoint in the current conflict. Iran has claimed to have taken control of the passageway, which the US has contested.
Iran has intensified its offensive over the Strait of Hormuz and warned passing ships to seek its approval.
Meanwhile, a Liberian-flagged ship with Saudi Arabian crude oil cleared the Hormuz and reached the Mumbai port on Wednesday. The ship with an Indian captain was the first India-destined vessel to safely transit the waterway.
