Jaishankar Speaks To Rubio, Voices Strong Protest Over Death of Indian Seafarers

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Saturday said he spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to convey India’s strong protest over US Navy strikes in the Gulf that killed three Indian sailors.

He stated that such actions against commercial shipping were unjust.

EAM Jaishankar said in a post on

This statement came after the death of three Indian sailors in the US army attack on a commercial tanker in the Gulf of Oman.

The ship, the MT Settebello, came under fire on Wednesday after US forces accused it of violating an ongoing naval blockade of Iranian ports. While 21 of the 24 Indian crew members on board were rescued, the other three were later confirmed dead.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday called on US Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks to lodge a strong protest against the ongoing attacks on commercial ships off the coast of Oman.

The diplomatic move follows another incident yesterday where a commercial ship with 20 Indian crew members was attacked in the area. This marks the second time the US mission has been called by the MEA due to the increasing maritime security issue.

On Thursday, the MEA said that the identities of the three Indian sailors who lost their lives in the attack on the MT Settebello ship have been determined and efforts are on to bring their bodies to India as soon as possible.

“These attacks came from the US Navy stationed there. As you will see in various reports, our statements and other information disclosed on this podium, the three ships involved are foreign flags,” Jaiswal said. he said.