New Delhi : India on Tuesday strongly condemned the recent missile attacks on merchant vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, calling them acts of violence against civilian seafarers that endanger one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes and threaten the principle of free and safe navigation.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued the statement hours after summoning the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi following missile strikes on two commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The attacks killed one Indian crew member and injured several others, prompting India to lodge a formal diplomatic protest with Tehran. The latest incident has further raised the toll on Indian seafarers caught in the escalating conflict around the strategic waterway. The first reported casualty came on March 1, when a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker was attacked in the region. While no group claimed responsibility, the United States blamed Iran.
The MEA expressed deep concern over the attacks on the UAE-flagged vessels MT Al Bahiyah and MT Mombasa, which together carried 30 Indian nationals among a total crew of 46. The ministry also voiced concern over the renewed escalation of hostilities in West Asia, urging an immediate end to the violence and a return to dialogue and diplomacy in the interest of regional peace, security and stability.
It stressed that attacks on commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure must stop, calling for the restoration of free and unimpeded navigation and maritime trade through international waterways in accordance with international law. One of the 12 Indian nationals aboard MT Al Bahiyah was killed and another sustained injuries. On MT Mombasa, nine of the 18 Indian crew members were injured, including two who remain in critical condition.
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