India protests second attack on vessel with Indian crew as conflict deepens in West Asia | Today’s news
US forces on Thursday struck the MT Jalveer, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel with 20 Indian crew members, days after a similar attack on another ship with Indian sailors on board, prompting India to reiterate its call for an end to attacks on commercial shipping amid an escalating conflict in West Asia.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said attacks on ships in the region are a direct result of the ongoing conflict and pose serious maritime security concerns.
“The continued incidents of attacks on shipping in the region are deeply disturbing and are a direct result of the ongoing conflict in the region. These attacks must stop,” he said.
Jaiswal said US chargé d’affaires Jason Meeks was summoned to the ministry on Wednesday to register India’s strong protest against attacks on vessels carrying Indian crew members. He added that India separately condemned Monday’s Settebello attack in which three Indian citizens were killed.
Read also | India says US attack on ships off Oman “must cease and desist”, protests
“We have communicated that the welfare of our maritime community is very important and the attacks that are happening must stop. We have also communicated that dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward for a peaceful resolution of the conflict and that there should be unrestricted access through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law,” Jaiswal said.
Separately, Aseem Mahajan, additional secretary (Gulf) at MEA, said all 20 Indian crew members aboard MT Jalveer were reported safe after the vessel was attacked off Oman’s Shinas port on Thursday. “All (crew members) are said to be safe. Our mission in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the Omani authorities for the safe evacuation of the Indian crew,” he added.
Supply watch
Meanwhile, despite concerns that conflict in West Asia could push up fertilizer costs, the Center said its fertilizer subsidy bill for the current financial year could be lower than previously expected, helped by a sharp fall in urea import prices.
Aparna S. Sharma, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Fertilizers, said the government may reassess its subsidy requirements once import volumes are confirmed.
“Whatever is stated is based on preliminary estimates, assuming the trends remain the same, there is definite reason to reassess the fertilizer subsidy depending on the confirmation of the quantities to be imported,” she said.
India’s fertilizer subsidies could be eased after the government’s latest tender to import 1.7 million tonnes of urea attracted significantly lower landing prices, the Mint said on Wednesday, easing pressure on public finances that has intensified due to global supply shortages.
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Sharma said India’s comfortable stock position, continued domestic production and the emergence of new importing countries may have contributed to softer global prices.
“Our stock position and production are running smoothly which may indicate that India’s requirements will be less while global prices are affected by several factors such as consumption and stock position,” she said.
However, oil markets remained volatile. Oil prices rose nearly 2% on Thursday as tensions escalated in West Asia, before giving up some gains later in the session.
Prices initially rose after the US launched more strikes on Iran and Tehran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, sparking fears of disruption to global oil supplies.
US President Donald Trump has also threatened further military action against Iran, saying the US could take control of Kharg Island, home to one of Iran’s key oil export terminals.
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In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “The United States will attack Iran tonight… VERY HARD. At some point in the not-too-distant future, we will seize Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points and take total control of their oil and gas markets…”
Brent crude for August delivery was trading at $92.82 a barrel on the Intercontinental Exchange at 8:10 p.m., down 0.30% from the previous close. West Texas Intermediate crude for July delivery on the Nymex was at $90.25 a barrel, up 0.24%.
