India Summons US Envoy Twice in Three Days After Deadly Strikes on Merchant Ships

India summoned the United States' top diplomat in New Delhi for the second time in three days on Friday, lodging a fierce protest after a series of US military strikes on commercial vessels off the coast of Oman left at least three Indian sailors dead. Jason Meeks, the US deputy chief of mission and chargé d'affaires in the absence of Ambassador Sergio Gor, was called in by the Ministry of External Affairs' additional secretary for the Americas, signalling the seriousness with which New Delhi views the attacks.

The diplomatic démarche followed an attack on Thursday against the Guinea-flagged MT Jalveer, which was carrying 20 Indian crew members near the Omani port of Shinas. That incident came a day after US Navy missiles struck the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello, killing three Indian seafarers who had initially been reported missing. Indian officials have now confirmed that three separate commercial vessels with Indian nationals aboard have been targeted in the space of four days, an escalation that New Delhi has publicly acknowledged for the first time as direct attacks on civilian shipping.

In its formal protest, the Indian ministry described the use of 'lethal and deadly force against civilian shipping' as unacceptable and said the deaths could have been avoided. 'We attach great importance to the welfare and safety of our sailors,' foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, demanding an immediate halt to such actions. The unusually sharp tone reflects New Delhi's frustration that its nationals, who form a vital part of the global maritime workforce, are being caught in the crossfire of a conflict in which India is not a belligerent.

Viewed from Washington, the strikes are part of an ongoing campaign to interdict Iranian weapons shipments and enforce sanctions amid a shadow war that has increasingly spilled into the Gulf of Oman. Yet for New Delhi, the repeated targeting of vessels with Indian crew — without, it says, adequate warning or coordination — has become a diplomatic and domestic political liability. Russian and Iranian media have amplified the story, portraying the US actions as reckless and highlighting India's unusual public rebuke of a strategic partner. Analysts in London note that India's decision to summon the American envoy twice in a single week is without recent precedent and underscores the growing tension between India's deepening security ties with Washington and its imperative to protect its citizens abroad. With thousands of Indian seafarers transiting the region's volatile sea lanes, New Delhi is likely to intensify both diplomatic pressure and its own maritime security coordination, even as it seeks to avoid a lasting rift with the United States.