India's fury grows over US refusal to apologize for deaths of Indian sailors, straining relations as leaders meet at G7. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
Last week, three Indian seafarers working on commercial oil tankers were killed when the US launched missile strikes on their vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. These were the first deaths since the US military began its blockade of the strait in April to squeeze Iran's economy and push its government toward a peace deal.
The seemingly blase response from the US government to the killing of the sailors has caused great consternation in India. Headlines over the weekend read: "No apology from Washington." The initial US government statement did not even mention the deaths, only confirming that its forces had struck a vessel that was allegedly violating sanctions and had been "uncooperative."
The Indian government first condemned the strikes with "strong protest" and summoned a senior US diplomat to demand the strikes stop. But as pressure mounted in Delhi, India's foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, spoke directly to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, signaling that India would not let the matter slide. "Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified," Jaishankar's statement said.
However, Rubio appeared unrepentant, doubling down on the US justification while refusing to offer any condolences. "Violations of the US blockade and the illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated," the State Department readout said.
The terse exchange is likely to put more pressure on the relationship between Delhi and Washington, which were once seen as robust but have become increasingly strained in recent months due to economic and political tensions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already flown to France for the G7 summit, where he is expected to meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines. Many expect the deaths of Indian citizens to feature prominently in their discussion.
Back home, political pressure is mounting on Modi to publicly raise his objections. The families of the three sailors came out publicly demanding answers and calling for the return of their remains. "I have only one demand: that my son's remains be brought back," said Rajesh Sharma, father of 23-year-old Aditya Sharma, one of the sailors killed. "I want to know what happened in his last moments. Was he given any rescue assistance? What circumstances led to the deaths of three crew members from our country?"
On Sunday, India's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi accused the prime minister of being "silent" over the killing of innocent Indian citizens and of kowtowing to the US government. "Foreign powers kill our citizens. Our government quietly obeys orders like an obedient servant and our citizens are left to rot," Gandhi said.
The attacks have further fueled anti-US sentiment in India, already rife due to the perceived disregard of the Trump administration toward India while claiming it as a strategic ally. India bore the heaviest brunt of Trump's tariffs, causing economic devastation. Analysts describe a widening "trust deficit" between the two countries, especially as Trump has drawn closer to Pakistan.
A recent visit to Delhi by Rubio was seen to do little to help restore relations. While Trump and Modi have had a jovial relationship in the past, they will meet at the G7 with relations at their lowest ebb in years.
Shashi Tharoor, an opposition MP and chair of India's parliamentary committee for external affairs, described Rubio's statement as "deeply shocking." "How can a 'friend' and strategic partner be so deeply insensitive?" Tharoor questioned. "Practically every merchant ship navigating these crucial waters has Indian crew on board. Are they all considered fair game for US missiles now?"
US foreign policy analyst Derek J Grossman was also damning in his analysis of Rubio's response. "Rubio's words were very tone deaf and will further inflame anti-US sentiment," he said. "He didn't even express condolences for India's loss of life. Some 'friend' Trump's America is to India."