MEA summons US diplomat, calls attacks on vessels carrying Indian seafarers ‘unacceptable’

The Ministry of External Affairs MEA on Friday summoned US Charge drsquoAffaires Jason Meeks and lodged a strong protest over what India described as continuing attacks by US naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian seafarers in the Gulf of OmanAccording to the MEA the summons was issued to convey Indiarsquos ldquostrong concernsrdquo over the incidents that have resulted in the death of three Indian nationals and raised serious questions over the safety of civilian shipping in the regionIn a statement the ministry said a ldquostrong protest was lodgedrdquo with the US diplomat over the continuing incidents involving commercial vessels carrying Indian marinersldquoThe 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 timerdquo the MEA saidMinistry of External Affairs issues statement on summoning of US Chargeacute drsquoAffairesMEAIndia pictwittercom3XFknzb1elmdash All India Radio News airnewsalerts June 12 2026The ministry further stated that the US Charge drsquoAffaires was requested to convey Indiarsquos concerns to Washington and ensure that US forces operating in the region take all necessary measures to prevent further loss of civilian lifeThis is the second time in recent days that the US Charge drsquoAffaires has been summoned by the MEA over the issue Earlier this week India had also lodged a protest following similar incidents involving commercial vessels off the coast of OmanForeignflagged vessels involved in Oman incidents says MEA spokespersonAt a media briefing on Thursday MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the three vessels involved in the incidents were foreignflagged ships and not Indianowned He said two of them were registered under Palau and the third under GuinealdquoThese attacks came from the US Navy that is stationed there The three ships that have been involved in the incidents are foreign flagged Two of them are Palau flagged and the third one is Guinea flagged They are not Indianowned shipsrdquo Jaiswal saidHe also stated that two of the vessels were sanctioned under the Office of Foreign Assets Control OFAC list while one was classified as noncompliantAccording to officials one of the vessels MT Jalveer was attacked off Shinas port in Oman All 20 Indian crew members on board were safely rescued with the assistance of Omani authorities the Indian Embassy in Muscat saidIn another incident on Wednesday the commercial vessel Settebello came under attack off the coast of Oman Of the 24 Indian crew members onboard 21 were rescued while three lost their lives officials saidA third incident involving MT Marivex was reported on Monday when a fire broke out aboard the vessel south of the Strait of Hormuz The ship was carrying 24 Indian seafarersResponding to Indiarsquos concerns a US State Department official said Washington was in direct contact with New Delhi on the matterldquoThe Department of State is in direct contact with the Indian government regarding this matterrdquo the official was quoted as sayingWith IANS inputs