India on Friday lodged a fresh protest with the United States after summoning the senior-most American diplomat in New Delhi for the second time in a week over attacks on merchant vessels in West Asia that have resulted in the deaths of three Indian seafarers.
US Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks was called to the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday afternoon, where Additional Secretary (Americas) Nagaraj Naidu conveyed India’s strong objections to the continued strikes on commercial shipping despite an earlier protest earlier this week, people familiar with the developments said.
In an official statement, the ministry said India had expressed serious concern over the continuing attacks by US naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian crew members in the Gulf of Oman. It noted that the incidents had already led to the “tragic and avoidable” loss of three Indian lives.
New Delhi also reiterated its concern over the use of force against civilian shipping, describing such actions as unacceptable and harmful to the safety and stability of international maritime trade in a strategically important region.
According to the ministry, Meeks was asked to communicate India’s concerns to Washington and ensure that US forces operating in the area take all necessary precautions to prevent civilian casualties in future operations.
The latest diplomatic move came a day after US forces targeted MT Jalveer, a tanker carrying 20 Indian crew members, near Oman’s Shinas port. Sources said Meeks remained at the ministry for around 40 minutes during the meeting.
The US Central Command has stated that it acted against three vessels this week, MT Marivex on June 8, MT Settebello on June 9 and MT Jalveer on June 11, alleging that they were attempting to breach the American blockade of Iranian ports. In the case of Jalveer, a US military aircraft reportedly fired two Hellfire missiles into the vessel’s engine room to disable it.
Although none of the ships were Indian flagged, all carried Indian nationals as crew members. Marivex and Settebello were registered under the Palau flag, while Jalveer was flagged in Guinea-Bissau.
Concerns intensified after three Indian crew members aboard MT Settebello, who had initially been reported missing, were confirmed dead on Thursday. Among them was 23-year-old deck cadet Aditya Sharma from Himachal Pradesh, who was undergoing training to become a licensed ship officer.
Oman’s armed forces later carried out rescue operations involving more than 60 Indian crew members from the three vessels. The rescued personnel included 24 from Marivex, 21 from Settebello and 20 from Jalveer.
India had earlier condemned the strike on MT Settebello through a statement issued on Wednesday, though it did not directly identify the party responsible for the attack.
The incidents have triggered growing criticism within India, particularly because the United States is viewed as a key strategic partner. Several voices have questioned the attacks and called for stronger action from New Delhi. Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal said pressure should be applied on Washington rather than defending actions that have cost Indian lives. He also argued that the US blockade itself was illegal and noted that the US Central Command had not expressed regret over the deaths of Indian seafarers.
