India protests US Navy attack that killed 3 Indian mariners

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday evening and lodged a formal protest over a U.S. Navy attack in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners.

"Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified," Jaishankar said in a post on X after the call. He described the conversation as a reiteration of India's strong protest at the attacks by the U.S. Navy.

The incident involved three vessels with Indian crew that came under attack off the Oman coast this week. One of those strikes killed three Indian seafarers on Wednesday.

India also summoned the Charge d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi to lodge its protest directly, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Earlier in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Iran of carrying out drone attacks against Indian ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz. "Their totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "They better get their act together and FAST."

Jaishankar's call with Rubio came hours after Trump's post. The Indian minister did not mention Iran in his public statement on the call.

The deaths mark the first known casualties among Indian seafarers from the recent spate of naval engagements in the region. India has not confirmed the nationality of the vessels involved or the specific circumstances of the attack that killed the three crew members.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments. Indian-flagged and crewed vessels transit the waterway regularly.