WITH AN India-bound ship coming under attack from suspected Iranian fighters, New Delhi issued the first direct criticism of Tehran on Wednesday as it “deplored” that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attacks.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier condemned the strikes by Iran on Arab countries in West Asia during his conversations with leaders of those countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, this is the first time that the Indian government has slammed the Iranians for targeting Indian seafarers who are on board the commercial ship.
The Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree dry bulk vessel was struck by “two projectiles of unknown origin” while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman on Wednesday, causing a fire and damaging the engine room, the ship’s Thai-listed operator Precious Shipping said in a statement.
“Three crew members are reported missing and believed to be trapped in the engine room,” it said.
“The company is working with the relevant authorities to rescue these three missing crew members,” it said, adding that the remaining 20 crew members had been safely evacuated and were ashore in Oman.
The vessel was heading for Kandla in India (Photo: X)
Images provided by the Thai navy showed smoke pouring out of the back of the ship.
Iran Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency that the ship was “fired upon by Iranian fighters”, suggesting the first direct engagement by the Guards who have previously fired missiles or drones.
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Hours later, the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi said, “We have seen reports about the attack on a Thai ship, Mayuree Naree, in the Straits of Hormuz on 11 March. The ship was bound for Kandla in India.”
“India deplores the fact that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attacks in the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Precious lives, including of Indian citizens, have already been lost in multiple such attacks in the earlier phase of this conflict and the intensity and lethality of the attacks only seems to be increasing,” it said.
“India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided,” it said.
Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and European Union’s Foreign Policy chief Kaja Kallas amid the war raging in West Asia that completed 12 days.
“A good telecon with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Shared our assessments on the West Asia conflict and related diplomatic efforts. Also took stock of our bilateral cooperation agenda,” Jaishankar said on X.
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The Jaishankar-Lavrov conversation came days after the US said it is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to New Delhi to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil in view of disruptions in the energy market.
Jaishankar also said he held “useful” discussion on the West Asia conflict and its repercussions with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kallas.
In the last few days, Jaishankar has been holding phone conversations with his counterparts from several countries on the West Asia crisis. On Tuesday, he spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.
The Ministry of External Affairs’ spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Wednesday, “The welfare of a diaspora is of utmost priority, high priority and importance to us…we remain committed to the welfare of our citizens, our nationals who reside in the GCC and the West Asian countries. All our missions in the region are in regular touch with our community members. They issued advisories and regularly updating them.”
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He said two Indians have died and one remains missing in incidents involving merchant ships.
“Few Indians who have suffered injuries in the GCC region, are being looked after. They are being treated, and our embassy and our consulate are in close touch with them to ensure their well-being,” he said, adding that one Indian was injured in Israel and another in Dubai.
He said the Ministry of External Affairs is closely monitoring the situation involving Indian nationals in the region and that Indian missions are working to ensure the safety and welfare of the diaspora.
India has about one crore citizens living in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and their safety remains a priority, he said.
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About 9,000 Indian nationals are currently in Iran, with the Indian mission maintaining close contact with the community. Indian students and pilgrims have been relocated to safer cities outside Tehran, and assistance is being provided for land border crossings into Armenia and Azerbaijan so that they can take commercial flights back to India.
(With inputs from Reuters & AP from Dubai)
