‘Comply with US forces in Hormuz immediately,’ Rubio tells Jaishankar amid row over Indian sailors
In the statement attributed to Chief Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, it was stated that the two officials discussed the latest events in the Strait of Hormuz. “The Minister emphasized that all commercial ships trying to maintain peace and security in the Bosphorus must immediately comply with the orders of US forces,” the statement said.
Also read: Indian sailors’ deaths, controversial attacks and growing US-Iran blame game
The call came days after Jaishankar made a strong protest to Rubio over US Navy strikes that killed three Indian sailors in the Gulf, saying such lethal actions against commercial shipping were not justified.
The Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello was hit in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, killing three of the 24 Indian nationals on board. US forces said the ship had breached a naval blockade of Iranian ports. Another Palau-flagged tanker, MT Marivex, came under attack on Monday with 24 Indian sailors on board, all of whom were rescued safely. A third ship, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged MT Jalveer, was hit on Thursday and had 20 Indian sailors on board.
India also summoned the Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy in New Delhi to lodge its formal protest against the attacks.
Also read: Shipowners nervous about news on Hormuz as ‘Dark’ oil flows increaseOfficial estimates say 622 Indian sailors on 13 Indian-flagged ships are currently operating in waters west and east of the Strait of Hormuz. Approximately 18,000 Indian citizens work on foreign-flagged merchant ships in the Gulf region.
The USA imposed a naval blockade on Iran on April 13 after the Islamabad Talks failed. According to CENTCOM, 85 ships were stopped and three ships were seized as part of the blockade.
