The Indian government has summoned the US Chargé d'Affaires in New Delhi, Jason Mack, to the Ministry of External Affairs to deliver a formal protest note following the death of three Indian sailors. The casualties occurred after the US military struck the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello off the coast of Oman on June 10.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports, citing foreign media, that this marks the second time this week that the Indian Foreign Ministry has summoned a US diplomat to express strong dissatisfaction regarding attacks on commercial vessels in the waters off Oman.
New Delhi had previously submitted an initial protest note following an earlier incident involving a US strike on a merchant vessel in the same region. Sarbananda Sonowal, India's Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, confirmed that three crew members lost their lives in the MT Settebello incident, which involved a total crew of 24 Indian nationals.
According to reports, the Omani Navy, in coordination with the Embassy of India in Muscat, successfully rescued the remaining 21 crew members from the vessel. As of now, the United States has not issued an official statement regarding the incident.
The incident highlights the ongoing security challenges for commercial shipping in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, critical maritime corridors for global trade. Diplomatic relations between India and the United States have generally been robust, making such incidents significant points of friction that require careful de-escalation between the two strategic partners.
