Swapna Kumbar , Bengaluru - India has issued a stern message to Washington, demanding that U.S. Navy strikes on merchant vessels carrying Indian seafarers must stop immediately after three Indian-flagged ships came under attack off Oman in the past four days. The Foreign Ministry lodged a "strong protest" with the American side, with spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasizing that India attaches "high importance to the welfare and well-being of our seafaring community" following the deadly attack on tanker Settebello that killed three Indian nationals.

The first public acknowledgment of U.S. Navy targeting ships with Indian crew revealed a devastating pattern: On June 8, a Palau-flagged oil tanker Marivex carrying 24 Indian seafarers was disabled by U.S. forces off Oman's coast, with all crew members safely rescued. On June 10, the U.S. struck another Palau flagged tanker Settebello, killing three out of 24 Indian sailors on board. On Thursday, the Guinea Bissau flagged bitumen tanker MT Jalveer, carrying 20 Indian crew members, was targeted from the coast of Oman's Shinas port. Three Indian sailors lost their lives as crew members of MT Settebello.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that India summoned the U.S. Chargé d'affaires to formally register a protest and articulate its "deepest concerns" regarding the incident. "These strikes must stop immediately," Jaiswal declared during a press briefing, emphasizing the government's condemnation of the U.S. Navy's attack on commercial vessels near Oman. The government urged for an end to "assaults on commercial shipping and civilian infrastructures in the area," warning these attacks are creating panic among 20,000 Indian seafarers operating in conflict-prone waters .

This marks India's strongest diplomatic response to U.S. military actions targeting vessels with Indian crew, as the nation intensifies coordination between shipping, defense, and diplomatic agencies to safeguard its citizens abroad. With three separate attacks occurring within a single week, India anticipates that the U.S. will "duly acknowledge our protest against assaults on vessels carrying Indian seafarers".