Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has formally raised a sharp protest with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio following a series of American naval strikes in the Gulf that resulted in the deaths of three Indian nationals. The incident occurred when US forces targeted the Palau-flagged merchant vessel MT Settebello off the coast of Oman. This diplomatic intervention follows two separate summons of a senior US diplomat in New Delhi, signaling the growing frustration from the Indian government regarding the collateral impact of US naval operations on commercial shipping and the safety of Indian maritime workers.

The crisis has deepened as multiple vessels with Indian crew members have been caught in the crossfire of escalating regional tensions. With India serving as a major global supplier of merchant sailors, the Ministry of Shipping has issued urgent directives for all seafarers to exercise extreme caution when navigating conflict-prone waters. While the US State Department has indicated it is in communication with New Delhi, the situation remains tense, especially as the Indian Navy continues high-risk operations to remove unexploded ordnance from tankers that have been struck in the region.