Key facts
- India lodged a second protest with the US over the deaths of three Indian sailors.
- The incident involved a strike on a commercial vessel off Oman.
- India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
- India protested "unjustified" US Navy attacks.
- The US embassy's charge d'affaires was summoned twice.
- The US claims the vessel violated a blockade of Iranian ports.
- Iran denies US President Donald Trump's claims of an Iranian drone attack on Indian ships.
- Iran accuses the US of attacking merchant vessels in the Gulf of Oman.
- Three Indian sailors were killed in US strikes on merchant vessels.
- The Forward Seamen's Union of India denied reports of four Indian sailors killed on the MT Liaki Freedom vessel.
- The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the crew of MT Liaki Freedom is safe.
India has lodged a second protest with the United States after three Indian sailors were killed in a strike on a commercial vessel off the coast of Oman. India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar communicated with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to protest what India described as "unjustified" US Navy attacks. The US embassy's charge d'affaires was summoned twice in two days to receive these protests. The US claims the vessel violated a blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran alleges US attacks killed the sailors. Iran's embassy in New Delhi has called US President Donald Trump's claims of an Iranian drone attack on Indian ships "simply baseless." The embassy stated the US is attempting to divert attention from its own military strikes on merchant vessels in the Gulf of Oman, which resulted in the deaths of three Indian sailors. These incidents highlight an escalating blame game and the impact on Indian interests in the region. Separately, Manoj Yadav, General Secretary of the Forward Seamen's Union of India, has denied reports claiming four Indian sailors were killed on the MT Liaki Freedom vessel. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed speaking with the ship's master, who stated all crew members are safe and the reports are false.