U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday conveyed to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that all commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz should comply with orders from Washington as the naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in force.
During the telephonic conversation, Rubio stressed the blockade sought to “uphold peace and security in the Strait."
Tommy Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State, said: “U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke yesterday with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The two officials discussed recent events in the Strait of Hormuz."
“The Secretary stressed that all commercial vessels should immediately comply with orders from U.S. forces as they seek to uphold peace and security in the Strait. He underscored that violations of the U.S. blockade and the illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated", he added.
S Jaishankar, who is currently on a visit to Europe, held a telephonic conversation with Marco Rubio and condemned the killing of three Indian mariners in a U.S. strike on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman.
In a post on ‘X’, EAM Jaishankar wrote: “Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India’s strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners."
“Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified", he added.
Three Indian-crewed vessels came under attack near Oman in the Strait of Hormuz as Washington launched strikes, killing three Indian crew members.
India had lodged “strong protest" of the U.S. and summoned the most senior American diplomat in New Delhi for the second time.
