India on Friday summoned the most senior American diplomat in New Delhi for the second time this week to protest attacks by US forces on merchant vessels in West Asia that have killed three Indian seafarers, reflecting growing public anger over the issue.
US chargé d'affaires Jason Meeks was summoned to the external affairs ministry at around 2 pm and additional secretary (Americas) Nagaraj Naidu registered a strong protest over the US attacks that continued even after Meeks had been summoned on Wednesday, people familiar with the matter said.
“A strong protest was lodged with [Meeks] regarding the continuing attacks by US naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian mariners in the Gulf of Oman, which have already resulted in the tragic and avoidable loss of three Indian lives,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
The ministry again conveyed its deep concern over the “use of lethal and deadly force” against civilian shipping. “Such actions are unacceptable and undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce in a sensitive region at a difficult time,” the statement said.
Meeks was asked to convey “India’s strong concerns to his authorities and to ensure that US forces operating in the region take all necessary measures to prevent the loss of civilian life”, the statement added.
{{/usCountry}}Meeks was asked to convey “India’s strong concerns to his authorities and to ensure that US forces operating in the region take all necessary measures to prevent the loss of civilian life”, the statement added.
{{/usCountry}}The summoning came a day after US forces targeted MT Jalveer, a tanker with 20 Indian crew members, off Shinas port in Oman on Thursday. Meeks was at the ministry for almost 40 minutes, the people said.
The US Central Command has said it took action to disable three vessels this week – MT Marivex on June 8, MT Settebello on June 9 and MT Jalveer on June 11 – because they were trying to violate the US blockade of Iranian ports. A US combat aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into Jalveer’s engine room to disable it.
None of three vessels were Indian-flagged – Marivex and Settebello were Palau-flagged while Jalveer was Guinea-Bissau-flagged – but all had Indian crew members.
Three Indian crew members of Settebello who were reported missing were confirmed dead on Thursday, hours after US forces struck Jalveer. Among the dead was Aditya Sharma, a 23-year-old resident of Himachal Pradesh who was a deck cadet or apprentice training to become a licenced ship officer.
Omani armed forces rescued more than 60 Indian crew members from the three vessels, including 24 from Marivex, 21 from Settebello, and 20 from Jalveer.
The external affairs ministry had issued a statement on Wednesday to condemn the strike on Settebello though it didn't say who was behind the attack.
Public anger has grown over the attacks by the US – India's partner in the Quad grouping and a strategic partner in efforts to ensure an open and free Indo-Pacific – especially after the deaths of the three seafarers. Former foreign secretary, in a social media post, called for pressure to be mounted on the US instead of any defence of “its action at the cost of Indian lives”.
He added, “Whatever the sins of Iran, the US blockade is illegal.” Sibal also noted that the US Central Command had expressed “no regret” over the death of Indian seamen.