The row, explained
The deaths of three Indian sailors in a US military strike on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Oman have set off a political storm at home. The incident — and the phone conversation between the Indian and American foreign ministers that followed — has drawn fierce criticism from Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who took aim not only at Washington but also at External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
Tharoor blasts the US statement
At the heart of Tharoor's anger is the official statement Washington issued after the talks between Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to Tharoor, the statement carried not a word of regret or sympathy for the innocent Indians who were killed.
Writing on the social media platform X, he said: “I am deeply shocked to read this official American statement, which makes not the slightest mention of regret or condolence for the loss of innocent Indian lives. How can a ‘friend’ and strategic partner be so insensitive? Could a commercial vessel that was not following the rules not have been stopped by some other, non-lethal means? Could the ship's propulsion or steering not have been disabled without firing missiles meant to kill ordinary crew members?”
Pointing to how widespread Indian crews are on these routes, he added a pointed warning: “Almost every merchant ship passing through these vital sea lanes has Indian crew members aboard. Are they all now to be regarded as easy targets for American missiles? This attitude is unacceptable, and I hope S. Jaishankar said exactly this to Marco Rubio.”
Jaishankar says he raised it directly
For his part, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar made clear on Saturday that he had taken up the matter directly with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Currently on a trip to Europe, Jaishankar spoke to Rubio by phone and registered India's strong objection to the deaths of three Indian sailors in the Gulf of Oman.
In a social media post, Jaishankar said: “Spoke today with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. I reiterated India's strong opposition to the US Navy strikes in the Gulf of Oman, in which three Indian sailors lost their lives.” He added: “Such lethal action against commercial vessels is not justified.”
India summons the US envoy
A day earlier, on Friday, India had summoned Jason Meeks, the chargé d'affaires at the US embassy in New Delhi. He was told in plain terms that lethal US military attacks on Indian-crewed commercial ships near the Oman coast are unacceptable.
Three strikes, one after another
The first incident dates to June 8, when US forces targeted the Palau-flagged oil tanker 'Maryvex'. In a relief, all 24 Indian sailors aboard that vessel were rescued safely.
Just two days later, on June 10, the US struck another Palau-flagged tanker, the 'Setebello'. Three of the 24 Indian sailors on board were killed — the very incident that ignited the controversy.
In addition, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker 'Jalveer' was attacked on Thursday. A total of 20 Indian nationals were aboard that ship.
