India Summons US Diplomat Again After Third Ship Strike Near Oman Raises Concerns Over Seafarer Safety

India on Friday summoned the US Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) for the second time in less than 48 hours, as concerns mounted over the safety of Indian seafarers aboard vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz following another US military strike near the Oman coast.

The latest incident involved MT Jalveer, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker carrying 22 Indian seafarers, which was attacked on Thursday — the third such strike in the region within four days. All Indian crew members were evacuated safely after the missile strike.

US Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks was called in on Friday afternoon by MEA Additional Secretary (Americas Division) Nagaraj Naidu, who conveyed India’s concerns regarding the safety and security of Indian nationals aboard ships operating in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement, the MEA said, “A strong protest was lodged with him regarding the continuing attacks by U.S. 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.”

It added, “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.”

The statement further said, “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.”

Friday’s meeting followed an earlier summoning on June 10, marking the first time under the Trump administration that India had called in a senior US diplomat in New Delhi over an attack by American forces on a commercial vessel off Oman. In that strike on MT Settebello, 21 of the 24 Indian crew members were rescued, while three lost their lives.

The attack on MT Jalveer came on the same day Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed the deaths of the three Indian seafarers who had earlier been reported missing following the strike on MT Settebello.

The Indian Embassy in Muscat said evacuation of the MT Jalveer crew to Shinas port was coordinated with assistance from the Royal Navy of Oman and confirmed that all 22 Indian nationals onboard had reached shore safely.

Claiming that MT Jalveer “attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman”, the US Central Command said, “A US aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces.”

CENTCOM said the tanker was “disabled” in the Gulf of Oman “after the vessel violated the blockade against Iran by attempting to transport Iranian oil, marking the third commercial ship disabled by American forces this week”.

“Earlier this week, US aircraft disabled Palau-flagged vessels MT Marivex and MT Settebello on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Marivex violated the blockade by attempting to sail to an Iranian port and Settebello attempted to transport Iranian oil,” it added.

It is learnt that MT Jalveer had previously come under US action last month. On May 15, warning shots were fired approximately 30 nautical miles off the Oman coast and the vessel was directed to return towards the Gulf of Oman.

The attacks on commercial shipping, renewed military exchanges between the US and Iran, and growing concerns over maritime security are expected to shape discussions among G7 leaders meeting next week in Evian-les-Bains in eastern France, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump are scheduled to attend.

Modi is undertaking an official visit to France from June 13–14 (Nice), June 16–18 (Evian and Paris), and to Slovakia from June 14–16.

Late on Wednesday night, the Ministry of External Affairs had already summoned the US Chargé d’Affaires in New Delhi and lodged a protest following the attack on MT Settebello.

“We had summoned the US CDA (Jason Meeks) to register a protest on the attack that happened on this commercial vessel off the coast of Oman. Three Indian nationals have died in that incident,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said on Thursday.

“We have conveyed our deepest concerns on these incidents and the string of attacks happening. And we hope and expect that these would end, these would come to an immediate halt,” he said, underlining “our deep concerns regarding targeting of commercial ships, of marine personnel, as also civilian infrastructure”.

(The Indian Express reported)