India summons the U.S. deputy chief of mission in New Delhi for a second time to protest U.S. military strikes on commercial vessels off Oman, according to an Indian source and Bloomberg. The latest call is made on Friday, after New Delhi previously expressed displeasure on Wednesday over an earlier U.S. navy attack.
On Wednesday, India summoned Jason Meeks, the U.S. deputy chief of mission, following a U.S. navy strike involving the Palau-flagged oil products tanker Settebello that killed three Indian sailors. On Friday, India again summons Meeks to register a further protest regarding U.S. strikes on ships in the Gulf of Oman carrying Indian crew members. The reports describe the action as a diplomatic démarche by India to convey its concerns to the United States.
Both accounts characterize the summoning as the second such action within three days and link it to U.S. strikes that affect Indian nationals and Indian-linked shipping in the region. The reports do not provide additional details on the specific vessels struck on Friday beyond the reference to commercial shipping off Oman.
