The Indian government on Thursday described as “unacceptable” an attack on an Indian-flagged vessel off the coast of Oman a day earlier.
While the attack took place amid the war in West Asia, it was not immediately clear who carried out the strike. The dhow, or a mechanised wooden vessel, subsequently sank, India’s shipping ministry said.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that all the Indian crew on board the ship are safe.
“We deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted,” Jaiswal said. “India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided.”
The war
The United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran’s action posed an existential threat to Israel. Washington acts as a guarantor of Israel’s security. Iran retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region, targeting major cities in Gulf countries and ships.
Tehran also effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterbody connecting the Gulf to the Arabian Sea, for most international commercial vessels, triggering a global energy crisis. About 20% of global petroleum supply passes through the maritime chokepoint.
The peace talks between Iran and the US that were held in Islamabad, Pakistan collapsed on April 12 but the ceasefire in the region has largely held.
Iran’s foreign minister in India for BRICS
The attack on the Indian-flagged ship on Wednesday also comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in New Delhi to participate in a BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting on Thursday and Friday, ANI reported.
The BRICS grouping comprises India, Brazil, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Washington views the group as attempting to become an economic counterweight to the US.
Addressing the gathering in New Delhi, Araghchi urged the members of the grouping and other countries to “unequivocally condemn the violations of international law” by the US and Israel, ANI reported.
The Iranian foreign minister added that Tehran viewed BRICS as a symbol of the emergence of a new world order, one in which the global south is one of the “main architects” of the future of the world.
“What was once an ambitious ideal has become a reality, but it is a fragile one,” the news agency quoted him as saying. “Declining imperialist powers are seeking to turn back the clock and are reacting with desperation and aggression as they seek to downgrade.”
Araghchi also described Iran's confrontation with Western powers as part of a larger struggle against “Western hegemony”, adding that Tehran’s actions were tied to the interests of BRICS countries.
Written by Leah Thomas. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.
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