Rubio conveyed this to Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who spoke with him on Friday (June 12) to lodge a strong protest against the death of Indian nationals in US attacks on ships off the coast of Oman.
“The Secretary stressed that all commercial vessels should immediately comply with orders from US forces as they seek to uphold peace and security in the Strait,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.
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Rubio underscored that violations of the US blockade and the illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated, Pigott said in a statement here.
India on Friday summoned Charge d’Affaires Jason Meeks and told him that the American military’s lethal strikes on commercial vessels with Indian crew members off the coast of Oman are unacceptable.
A Palau-flagged oil tanker, Marivex, carrying 24 Indian seafarers, was disabled by US forces on June 8. All crew members were safely rescued.
On June 10, the US struck another Palau-flagged tanker, Settebello, killing three out of the 24 Indian sailors on board. Another vessel, Jalveer, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker with 20 Indians, was attacked on Thursday.
(Edited by : Jomy Jos Pullokaran)
First Published: Jun 13, 2026 8:38 PM IST
