India registers fresh protest, summons US diplomat over seafarers’ deaths
India summoned the US chargé d'affaires for a second time after US naval strikes on commercial vessels in the Gulf of Oman killed three Indian seafarers
Upping the ante over the death of three Indian seafarers in attacks on merchant vessels by the US Navy, the Centre on Friday (June 12) summoned the US chargé d'affaires Jason Meeks for the second time in a week to lodge a protest against the incident. The development comes a day after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that the US Navy was behind the attacks on commercial ships.
Second protest in a week
“A strong protest was lodged with [Meeks] regarding the continuing attacks by US naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian mariners in the Gulf of Oman, which have already resulted in the tragic and avoidable loss of three Indian lives,” said the MEA in a statement.
Terming the incident “unacceptable”, the MEA further stated that such actions undermine the security and stability of international maritime commerce.
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“The U.S. Chargé d’Affaires was requested to convey India’s strong concerns to his authorities and to ensure that U.S. forces operating in the region take all necessary measures to prevent the loss of civilian life,” stated the MEA.
“The Ministry once again conveyed its deep concern over the use of lethal and deadly force against civilian shipping. Such actions are unacceptable and undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce in a sensitive region at a difficult time,” it added.
MEA summons Jason Meeks
According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the MEA summoned Meeks at 2 pm, and a strong protest was registered Additional Secretary (Americas) Nagaraj Naidu, over the attacks by the US Navy, despite Meeks being summoned also on Wednesday.
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The latest summons came a day after US forces struck MT Jalveer, a tanker carrying 20 Indian crew members, near Oman’s Shinas port on Thursday. The report further stated that Meeks remained at the MEA office for around 40 minutes.
US cites blockade violations
The US Central Command has maintained that action was taken 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 US blockade of Iranian ports. In the case of Jalveer, a US military aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles at the vessel’s engine compartment, rendering it inoperable.