This week, three ships carrying Indian crew members had accidents in Oman waters near the Hormuz Strait. All three incidents were confirmed to be caused by American military attacks, resulting in the death of 3 Indian crew members.
According to reports from Reuters and other media, on Friday (the 12th), local time, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the temporary ambassador of the United States to India ‘rarely’ again to protest against the US attack on an Indian oil tanker in the waters off Oman. This was the second time the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had summoned US officials in less than 10 days.
On a Saturday morning, Indian Foreign Minister Sujata Srinivasan posted on social media stating that she had spoken by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. "I once again expressed strong protest over the attack by the U.S. Navy in the Gulf, which resulted in the deaths of three Indian sailors. Such deadly actions against commercial vessels are unacceptable."
According to CNN, Prime Minister Modi has not made any public statements regarding the incident. In India, there is growing demand that the government should go beyond conventional diplomatic protests and take more substantial measures to protect Indian crew members stranded in the Gulf.
The U.S. Central Command posted video screenshots of this attack in the Gulf of Oman on social media.
Several Indian unions are pressuring Modi to publicly condemn the attack. The Indian Trade Union Centre said in a strongly worded statement on Friday, “When foreign armies kill Indian workers in international waters, the Indian government must speak out, and must do so loudly and firmly.”
New Delhi strategic affairs analyst Brahma Chellaney expressed dissatisfaction, saying that India's current responses are merely routine diplomatic protests, and that they “undermine the severity of the attack.”
He also said, “If the victim was a Chinese sailor, China would almost certainly respond differently. These attacks would be seen as a deadly provocation carried out by the United States, and would be escalated into a serious international crisis (to be taken seriously).”
According to data from the Indian government, India is the second-largest exporter of naval personnel in the world, after the Philippines. Opposition parties and other critics are pressuring the Modi government, claiming that India is paying a heavy price for a conflict that was not triggered by it. They are urging Modi to discuss this issue directly with Trump at the G7 Summit in France next week.
The main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, stated that the policies implemented by the government “have encouraged external forces to recklessly damage India’s national interests.” The statement said, “It is necessary to defend India’s strategic autonomy and enduring interests with a clear stance and firm will.”
As gunfire rang out in Oman's waters, Sushila Devi was sitting on the floor of her home in Deoria, northern India, crying. Her husband was one of the three crew members who died, and he was also the only source of income for the family. He had two young children.
On the 9th attack, the oil tanker “Sethbelo”, flying the Palau flag, had a total of 24 Indian crew members on board. Three people were confirmed dead after the attack, and their bodies have been recovered.
The U.S. Central Command admitted the attack on the ship 'Sethbelo', but claimed that the ship 'violated U.S. embargo orders' and was attempting to transport oil from Iran. In a statement released on the 10th, it was said that a U.S. aircraft fired precision-guided weapons at the oil engine room after the crew did not comply with U.S. instructions, causing the ship to lose power.
The Wall Street Journal pointed out that this is the first time since the exposure of U.S. attempts to cut off Iran’s oil revenue and force Iran to reach a cease-fire agreement that there have been casualties.
According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), iOS Marine, the operator of the Sète Belo, issued a statement on Friday clarifying that the company has "no connection with Iran or Iranian crude oil," and denying the claims of the U.S. Central Command that the tanker "ignored warning calls." They demanded an open and transparent independent international investigation into the matter.
This is the second consecutive day that the US military has fired at ships that allegedly ‘violated the US orders to blockade Iranian ports’.
On the previous day (the 8th), the US military fired a missile at the tanker ‘Mariwex’ in Oman waters for the same reasons, causing it to become disabled. The ship was carrying 24 Indian crew members, who were rescued by Oman authorities after being attacked.
The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on the 10th that it had summoned the relevant diplomats from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and expressed ‘strong protest’ regarding this matter. The Ministry also issued a statement on the same day, condemning this violent incident.
However, just as the words left his mouth, another oil tanker named “Jarwell”, carrying 20 Indian crew members, was attacked near Oman on the 11th. The U.S. Central Command claimed that the “Jarwell” was attempting to “cross the Hormuz Strait without permission”.
According to a report by the Iranian Tasnim News Agency on the 12th, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the United States for the 'cruel attack' on the oil tanker carrying Indian crew members. It stated that the United States' 'maritime piracy activities' pose a serious threat to international shipping and world peace, and the international community must hold those responsible accountable.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Bagheri expressed condolences to India.
The Indian Times reported on the same day, citing a spokesman for the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that in the past four days, three oil tankers carrying Indian crew members were attacked by US military forces in Oman waters. Two of these ships flew the flag of Palau, and one flew the flag of Guinea-Bissau. All three ships involved in the attacks were not owned by India.
After the second meeting with the U.S. Acting Ambassador, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement on the 12th that India has expressed “strong protest” over the U.S. actions of “continuing attacks on merchant ships carrying Indian crew members,” which resulted in the death of Indian sailors. It also expressed “deep concern” over the U.S. use of lethal force against civilian vessels, stating that such actions are “unacceptable.”
The Chinese side has requested that US side transmit the "serious concerns" of the Chinese side to the US government, and ensure that US military will take "all necessary measures to prevent civilian casualties" in its operations.
When asked if the Indian crew members were targeted, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs merely reiterated that the incident occurred in a “conflict zone”.
This set of diplomatic phrases, when heard by the families of the victims who seek justice, cannot alleviate their grief over losing their loved ones.
"If they had told us beforehand it was dangerous, I would have made sure he returned," Devi cried, nearly fainting, as the women of her household gathered around to comfort her. "The government shouldn't let people go there (to work)."
Her father-in-law revealed that he had talked to his son by phone the day before the attack.
"He was still saying everything is okay at that moment." The voice had not fallen, but this father was already unable to speak.
Another victim’s wife, Patnamar Bhargavi, told the media that they learned from the ship operator that the crew had no chance of escaping at the time of the attack. At the time of the incident, her husband was still repairing a generator on the ship.
This month, they were going to celebrate their fifteenth wedding anniversary. “He told me that there was an attack nearby, and someone lost their life. But he said not to worry, that he would come home safely soon, and that we could celebrate our wedding anniversary properly… I never imagined he would come back in such a way.”
The father of the last victim on the ship, Rajesh Sharma, said in an interview with Indian media, “I have only one request: to bring my son’s body back.”
I want to know what happened before he passed away. Did he receive any rescue? What circumstances led to the deaths of our country's three sailors? He angrily demanded an answer.
The victims, from left to right, are mechanic Shivnand Jorasia, probationary crew member Adiya Sharma, and chief engineer Patnera Suresh. BBC
According to Reuters, the cries of the victims's families also expressed a growing demand within India: that the Modi government take more measures to protect the Indian crew stranded in the Gulf region.
Indian Seafarers’ Federation (FSUI) member Manoj Yadav said in an interview with CNN that India is a major exporter of merchant seamen worldwide, with over 300,000 Indian seafarers currently distributed around the world. The recent attacks have caused ‘panic and fear’ among Indian seafarers who are stranded in the Gulf region.
On Monday, when the first attack occurred, he received an emergency call from the Indian crew on the tanker “Maricox”.
The other party exclaimed, 'There's a fire on the ship! The ship is sinking. The US Navy attacked us; missiles struck the cabin. There's a hole in the bottom of the ship... All 24 crew members on the ship are Indians. Please rescue us as soon as possible!'
Fortunately, after sending out distress signals, all the crew members were rescued by the Omani military and taken to an island near the coast of Oman.
Yadaff said that he ‘definitely doesn’t believe’ that the US side was unaware of the nationality of the crew on board the ship involved. He couldn’t understand why the US military wanted to attack a merchant ship that wasn’t carrying any ammunition. ‘Even if the ship didn’t follow the instructions from the US side, they could have boarding the ship and holding it.’
The Indian opposition party, the Congress, publicly condemned the ‘reckless military actions’ of the United States, calling on the government to take necessary diplomatic measures to hold those responsible accountable. CNN reported that the opposition party also viewed this incident involving crew members as a test of Modi’s diplomatic influence.
The Congress Party stated in its statement, “The Prime Minister has repeatedly promoted his personal relationship with President Trump as a diplomatic achievement. However, he cannot shirk his responsibility when this relationship failed to protect the lives of the Indian people.”
According to official data from the Indian shipping industry, there are currently 562 Indian sailors working on ships flying the Indian flag in this region. Among them, 329 are located in the bay areas west of Hormuz, and 233 are in the Oman Gulf east of Hormuz.
Indian Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Water Transport Manjgal revealed on Thursday that there are more than 18,000 Indian sailors in the entire Gulf region.
As of the time of publication, Modi remained in an earsplitting silence.
But when the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs urgently summoned U.S. representatives for the first time on Wednesday, Trump posted a message on social media to congratulate Modi on the 12th anniversary of his tenure as prime minister. Modi replied with thanks.
Kanti Bajpai, a visiting senior researcher at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress in India and a political scholar, told CNN that if further casualties occur in India, coupled with the rising anger among the population, it will be even more difficult for the Modi government to control the situation.
He also added that the incident has created a new source of conflict in the already fragile relations between India and the US.
The Indian Times states that a “major diplomatic dispute” has broken out between India and the United States. American media indicate that bilateral relations between India and the United States have fallen to their lowest point in decades. Although the US has recently made efforts to ease tensions and repair relations: the new ambassador to India took office, and Secretary of State Powell visited India under extreme heat last month. However, the attack on a merchant ship and the death of Indian sailors could further damage already fragile relations between India and the United States.
Bajpai believes that, constrained by the public pressure caused by the deaths of domestic sailors, India now expects the US to take a more lenient stance.
"If the US can openly express some regrets, it would be of assistance. India and the US signed four foundational military cooperation agreements. India may need to remind the US that maintaining the spirit of these agreements requires joint effort from both sides."
After the US military admitted to attacking Indian vessels, Trump "shifted the blame" to Iran in his latest statement.
On the 12th local time, this US president bragged on social media, saying, "Iran launched drone attacks against Indian ships departing the Strait of Hormuz last night (the 11th), which is completely unacceptable." Some Indian media believe that Trump's actions are intended to cover up the truth of the American attacks and shift the topic.
Next week, Trump plans to meet with Modi during the G7 summit in France. This is the first face-to-face meeting between the two since last year, when tensions arose due to military conflicts between India and Pakistan and Trump's increased tariffs.
According to analysis by Hong Kong media outlet The South China Morning Post, both Modi and Trump may wish to control the current tensions, preventing efforts by both sides to restore bilateral relations over the course of a year from being in vain.
Observer Research Foundation's Deputy Director Harsh Pant said that while New Delhi hopes the US will recognize the negative impact of this latest attack, it is expected that 'this matter will not escalate into a major conflict.'
(In their view, the two countries still have more important issues to be discussed and resolved. From a global perspective, both sides understood that the place where the incident took place was in an area of active conflict, they were likely to attempt to ignore the impact of the incident.)
FSUI's Yafu remains in contact with Indian seamen remaining in the Gulf region. He expressed, just three days after the ceasefire agreement went into effect, peace has vanished as if blown away.
Everyone lives under the threat of a huge danger, just like a lamb destined to be slaughtered. The American military has made it clear that they don't value Indian lives at all.
India must pose a tough question here.
