‘Illicit Iranian Oil Transport Won’t Be Tolerated’: U.S Tells India After Attacking Indian-Crewed Tankers In Gulf

The U.S. has told India that violation of its Hormuz blockade and the transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated.

India strongly condemned the U.S missile strike on the tanker Settebello near Oman, which killed three Indian seafarers.

As a result of this incident, which was the third in a week involving ships with an Indian crew, India summoned a U.S Embassy representative, Jason Meeks.

U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar regarding the incident and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to their conversation, revealed by Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, Rubio said that all ships should comply with the instructions issued by U.S Navy forces operating in the region.

He also warned that evading sanctions against Iranian oil and trying to sneak past the U.S Navy blockade will not be tolerated.

After the conversation, Jaishankar shared a post on X in which he wrote-

“I reiterated India’s strong protest at the attacks by the U.S. Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified.”

India’s response comes amidst a depleting security situation in the Gulf, especially for Indian seafarers working on oil tankers.

U.S-India ties have become tense just ahead of a scheduled meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S President Donald Trump in France on the sidelines of the G7 summit next week.