Jaishankar Speaks To Rubio, Voices Strong Protest Over Death of Indian Seafarers
He described such actions against commercial shipping as unjustified
New Delhi: Anguished over the attack on Indian vessels and ships having Indian crew on board in Strait of Hormuz, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar on Saturday dialled the Secretary of State of the United States of America, Mr Marco Rubio, to express India’s anger over the killing of its mariners by the US Navy in Strait of Hormuz. Mr Jaishankar lodged a strong protest over the attacks and said such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified. However, a statement from Mr Rubio’s office reflected sharp differences in the conversation of the two foreign minister as the US government underlined violations of the US blockade and the illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated and all commercial vessels must comply with orders from US forces.
The United States has so far defended its strike on the vessels like Jalveer, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker, claiming it was attempting to transport Iranian oil in violation of the ongoing US blockade.
"Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India's strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified,” Dr Jaishankar wrote on X. The EAM is currently traveling to Europe.
The US State Department readout on the telephonic conversation between the two foreign ministers said, "The two officials discussed recent events in the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary Rubio stressed that all commercial vessels should immediately comply with orders from US forces as they seek to uphold peace and security in the Strait. He underscored that violations of the US blockade and the illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated.”
Three vessels with Indian crew came under attack off the Oman coast this week. One of them resulted in the death of three Indian seafarers on Wednesday. India twice summoned the Charge d'Affaires (CDA of the US Embassy in New Delhi to lodge its protest on the matter. India has described the attacks on commercial vessels as "deeply worrisome" and it has strongly taken up the matter with the US.
US President Donald Trump on Friday accused Iran of carrying out drone attacks against Indian ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz, saying it was "totally unacceptable," a charge rejected by Tehran as "baseless".
"Their (Iran's) totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is totally unacceptable. They better get their act together and fast," Mr Trump claimed in a post on social media.
"The US president's accusation against Iran regarding an Indian vessel in the Strait of Hormuz is simply baseless. It is an attempt to divert public attention from the brutal fact that the US has attacked three Indian vessels in less than a week and killed three innocent Indian sailors. That's pathetic!," the Iranian Embassy in India said in a social media post.
