‘Failed to comply with directions’: US on why it attacked 3 vessels carrying Indian crew

AS the tensions betwixt the United States and persia flame erstwhile over again in the Middle East, three vessels with Indian crew members came under attack near Oman, over the past four days. Three Indian men were killed in the attacks. Track latest updates on Iran-US tensionsThe attacks – on MT Jalveer, Settebello, and MT Marivex – drew condemnation from India's external affairs ministry. Following the series of attacks on vessels, the US confirmed on Thursday that it ‘disabled’ the oil tankers for 'violating the blockade against Iran by attempting to transport Iranian oil’.What US said on attacking vessels with Indian crew“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) acted against Guinea-Bissau flagged M/T Jalveer as it attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman. A U.S. Aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from U.S. Forces," the United States Central Command said in a statement.Also read: Three days, three attacks: How Indian-crewed vessels got caught in fresh US-Iran crossfireIt further said that US aircraft disabled Palau-flagged vessels M/T Marivex and M/T Settebello on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. “Marivex violated the blockade by attempting to sail to an Iranian port and Settebello attempted to transport Iranian oil,” it said.The US military has enforced a naval blockade on Iranian ports after Tehran effectively blocked shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following the conflict in West Asia.India shares cordial relations with Iran and, after talks, has managed to secure safe passage for vessels including liquefied petroleum gas carriers as India is faced with fuel shortage. There have still been hiccups, with at least one Indian vessel fired on during a chaotic weekend in Hormuz in April after which New Delhi summoned Tehran’s ambassador.India's responseIndia on Thursday said three merchant ships with Indian crew members came under attack from American military off the coast of Oman in the last four days resulting in the death of three nationals and it has lodged a strong protest with the US over the strikes.Also read: ‘Severed hand, as if she was pleading’: A year later, forensic expert recalls AI-171 crash horrorIt was New Delhi's first public acknowledgement that US Navy targeted the three ships with Indian crew members. New Delhi asserted that these attacks must stop.External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a news briefing that the three separate strikes on the Settebello, Marivex and Jalveer "came from the US Navy".Following the attack on Settebello on Wednesday that killed three Indians, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned US Charge d'Affaires Jason Meeks and he was handed a demarche or diplomatic note of protest."We attach high importance to the welfare and well-being of our seafaring community. When this particular attack on the ship Settebello occurred, we lodged a strong protest with the American side," Jaiswal said."We summoned the US Charge d'Affaires and he was conveyed our deepest concern over the ongoing incidents of attacks. We also registered our strong protest," he said.Jaiswal emphasised that these attacks "must stop"."We further conveyed that dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward for the peaceful resolution of the conflict, and that there should be unimpeded access through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law," he said."Therefore, we made our position very clear on each of these points, while reiterating how important the lives of our people are, welfare and safety of our people are," he added.