India has summoned a senior United States diplomat in New Delhi to lodge a formal protest over a series of reported attacks on commercial vessels off the coast of Oman, marking a sharp escalation in diplomatic engagement between the two countries. This is the second time within 48 hours that India has called in the top US representative to the Ministry of External Affairs over the issue.
According to official sources, the latest incident occurred when a commercial vessel carrying around 20 Indian crew members came under attack in the maritime region near Oman. The development has intensified concerns in New Delhi over the safety of Indian seafarers operating on international shipping routes in the area. US Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks was summoned by Additional Secretary (Americas) in the Ministry of External Affairs to formally convey India’s protest.
The meeting is part of a broader diplomatic response being coordinated by Indian authorities following the repeated incidents reported in recent days. In a related development, three Indian seafarers who were earlier reported missing after one of the attacks have now been confirmed dead, further deepening the seriousness of the situation and prompting stronger diplomatic outreach from India.
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The escalation also comes amid New Delhi’s first public acknowledgment that, according to official data cited in reports, the United States military may have targeted multiple foreign-flagged merchant vessels operating with Indian crew members off the coast of Oman over a four-day period. The claim has added a new layer of complexity to ongoing diplomatic discussions.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, during an inter-ministerial briefing earlier in the week, outlined India’s strong diplomatic response, including the repeated summoning of the US envoy. He emphasized that the government is closely monitoring developments and has taken up the matter at high levels with Washington.
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