India Lodges Strong Protest with US Over Attack Killing Three of Its Sailors

MOSCOW - Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has lodged a strong protest with the United States over an attack on a vessel carrying Indian sailors in the Gulf of Oman, which killed three Indian nationals. In a post on X on Friday, Jaishankar stated that he had conveyed the objection directly to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “I reiterated India’s strong protest against the US Navy attack in the Gulf region that killed three Indian sailors,” Jaishankar said. He stressed that attacks on merchant vessels cannot be justified. Previously, India’s Ministry of External Affairs had summoned the US Chargé d’Affaires in New Delhi, Jason Meeks, to deliver a formal protest regarding the incident. Meanwhile, the US Central Command stated on Thursday that its forces had disabled a Guinea-Bissau-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, allegedly for violating a blockade on Iran. Tensions in the region have escalated since the United States and Israel launched attacks on targets in Iran on 28 February. The conflict reportedly killed more than 3,000 people. Washington and Tehran subsequently announced a ceasefire on 7 April, which officially remains in effect. However, the two countries are still engaged in negotiations to agree on a framework for a memorandum of understanding, while occasional limited strikes continue to occur between the two sides.