Commentary: Indian sailors’ deaths in US strike reopen old wounds and deepen new grievances

NEW DELHI: When the United States imposed its blockade of Iranian ports, there was always the question of how far Washington would go to enforce it. India has the painful answer. The US Navy struck three commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman in the same week, accusing them of violating the blockade. All three vessels carried Indian mariners aboard, and three on board the MT Settebello were killed on Jun 10. India responded by summoning the US charge d’affaires twice within a week, while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar conveyed India’s “strong protest” to US counterpart Marco Rubio. In…