India Protests US Attacks, US Unmoved on Iran Blockade Amid Seafarer Deaths
India Protests US Attacks, US Unmoved on Iran Blockade Amid Seafarer Deaths
India's EAM S. Jaishankar raised strong protests with the US after three Indian seafarers died in Gulf attacks. The US remains firm on enforcing its Iran port blockade.
The US will not tolerate any violations of its blockade of Iranian ports and merchant shipping should comply with orders from American forces, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said when external affairs minister S Jaishankar dialled him to protest against the death of three Indian seafarers in US attacks on ships that were “not justified”. This diplomatic exchange occurred late on Friday, following an earlier strong protest by India.
New Delhi had summoned US chargé d’affaires Jason Meeks twice in three days, emphasizing its severe concerns over the lethal actions against commercial vessels. The specific incident that triggered this diplomatic flurry was a US strike on the Palau-flagged MT Settebello on June 9, which tragically resulted in the deaths of three Indian seafarers. India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar later confirmed his call with Rubio in a brief social media post early Saturday morning.
In his post, Jaishankar clearly "reiterated India’s strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners." He underscored India's firm stance that merchant vessels must not be targeted, advocating for unimpeded freedom of navigation and commerce. Jaishankar asserted, "Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified," highlighting India's position on the matter.
However, the response from the US State Department was notably terse and devoid of any acknowledgement of India's concerns regarding the deaths. A readout from US state department spokesperson Tommy Pigott mentioned that the two leaders discussed "recent events in the Strait of Hormuz." Crucially, 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 further "underscored that violations of the US blockade and the illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated."
This firm stance from the US indicates that despite India's strong protests and the tragic loss of life, Washington remains unyielding in its enforcement of the blockade on Iranian ports. The lack of an expression of regret or even a mention of the Indian seafarers' deaths in the US readout has further underscored the diplomatic tension between the two nations on this critical issue.
#IndianMariners #USIndiaRelations #GulfTensions #BlockadeProtest
