US President Donald Trump expressed condolences over the deaths of three Indian seafarers killed in US attacks on merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, describing seafaring as “a rough profession”.
Asked during a joint media interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether he had a message for the families of the Indian sailors killed in the strikes, Trump said, “Yeah, I do. I heard about that. It’s a rough profession."
He further added: “This has been happening throughout time, but we work together. We love all of those people. They’re great people.”
The remarks came as Modi and Trump met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France, their first in-person meeting in 16 months amid the strained bilateral ties and concerns over the deaths of Indian crew members in the US attacks.
{{/usCountry}}The remarks came as Modi and Trump met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France, their first in-person meeting in 16 months amid the strained bilateral ties and concerns over the deaths of Indian crew members in the US attacks.
{{/usCountry}}The Palau-flagged vessel MT Settebello was among three tankers targeted by US forces this week. Omani armed forces later rescued the surviving crew members, including 21 Indians aboard the vessel.
Among those killed was 23-year-old Aditya Sharma from Himachal Pradesh, a deck cadet undergoing training to become a licensed ship officer.
More than 60 Indian crew members were rescued from the three affected vessels – 24 from MT Marivex, 21 from MT Settebello and 20 from MT Jalveer.
Modi raises safety of seafarers
During his opening remarks, Modi praised Trump’s role in efforts to restore peace following the Iran-US conflict and urged greater attention to the safety of seafarers as a peace agreement was signed in France on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister highlighted the role of Indian sailors in global trade routes, including through the Strait of Hormuz, and stressed that “their safety is of utmost importance to us”.
Referring to maritime security, Modi noted that India and the US agreed on the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. “We should work together and place particular emphasis on that,” he said.
Addressing Trump directly, Modi added, “Mr President, you have made tremendous efforts towards reaching this understanding and I’m confident that this agreement will ensure the security of seafarers and this issue will receive priority.”
This was the second time in two days that Modi raised the issue of Indian seafarers’ safety in Trump’s presence following the attacks on the three merchant vessels carrying close to 70 Indian crew members.
First face-to-face meeting in 16 months
Though Modi and Trump had spoken several times by phone since their previous meeting and briefly interacted during a G7 outreach session in Evian on Tuesday, this was their first face-to-face meeting since Modi travelled to Washington shortly after Trump’s inauguration last year.
The meeting comes at a sensitive time in bilateral relations. India-US ties have faced significant strain over the past year following the imposition of 50 per cent US tariffs on Indian exports. The deaths of three Indian sailors in the US strikes have added another point of tension between the two countries.
India has already raised concerns over the attacks through diplomatic channels. The external affairs ministry summoned the senior-most US diplomat twice to protest the strikes, while external affairs minister S Jaishankar also discussed the issue with US secretary of state Marco Rubio in a phone call.