'Such lethal actions aren't justified': Jaishankar to Rubio after US Navy attacks kill 3 Indian mariners

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday raised India’s protest with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the deaths of three Indian mariners in US Navy attacks in the Gulf, saying commercial shipping should not be subjected to such action.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said, “Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India’s strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified.”

His remarks followed a US military strike on the commercial tanker MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday. US forces said the vessel had breached the naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports. Of the 24 Indian nationals on board, 21 were rescued, while three were later confirmed dead. The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier said the deceased seafarers had been identified and efforts were under way to bring back their mortal remains at the earliest.

Separately, the Ministry of External Affairs summoned US Charge d’Affaires Jason Meeks on Friday to lodge a strong protest over continued attacks on commercial vessels off the Omani coast. The move followed another incident a day earlier involving a commercial ship with 20 Indian crew members on board. It was the second time the US mission in New Delhi had been called in over the worsening maritime security situation.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “These attacks came from the US Navy that is stationed there. As you would have seen in the various reports, as also in what was clarified through our statements and otherwise from this podium, the three ships that have been involved in the incidents are foreign-flagged.”

Giving its account of the incidents, the US Armed Forces’ Central Command said on Thursday that it had used Hellfire missiles to strike and disable three vessels in the Gulf of Oman — the M/T Jalveer, M/T Settebello, and M/T Marivex — over four days. It said the vessels were violating the US blockade of Iran’s oil trade and that 65 crew members from the three ships were rescued and brought to shore.

On Friday, President Donald Trump said an Iranian drone attack was responsible for the incidents involving the vessels carrying Indian crews. His remarks came as questions grew over the circumstances of the attacks and the security situation in the waters around the Strait of Hormuz.

Official estimates say 622 Indian seafarers on 13 India-flagged vessels are currently operating in waters to the west and east of the Strait of Hormuz. Nearly 18,000 Indian nationals are employed on foreign-flagged merchant ships across the wider Gulf region, and the Directorate General of Shipping on Friday issued a fresh maritime security advisory for mariners in the area.