India has formally conveyed its strong objection to the United States following incidents in the Gulf region that resulted in the deaths of three Indian mariners.External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and expressed India's concern over the use of lethal force against commercial vessels.He stated that commercial shipping should not be subjected to such actions and described the attacks as unacceptable.The protest follows a US military strike on the commercial tanker MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman.According to reports, US forces targeted the vessel after alleging that it had violated a naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports.The tanker carried 24 Indian nationals.While 21 crew members were rescued, three Indian seafarers lost their lives.

In a separate diplomatic move, the Ministry of External Affairs summoned the US Charge d'Affaires in New Delhi to register a formal protest regarding repeated attacks on commercial ships operating near the Omani coast.This was the second such diplomatic engagement amid growing concerns over maritime security in the region.Another vessel carrying 20 Indian crew members had reportedly come under attack a day earlier.The MEA confirmed that the deceased seafarers have been identified and that efforts are underway to repatriate their mortal remains.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that the affected vessels were foreign-flagged commercial ships and reiterated India's concern regarding attacks on civilian maritime traffic.

The developments have increased diplomatic tensions between India and the United States over the safety of commercial shipping routes in the Gulf region.