New Delhi: Calling the use of “lethal and deadly force” against civilian shipping “unacceptable,” India on Friday (June 12) summoned the US embassy’s chargé d’affaires for the second time this week and lodged another protest over repeated US attacks on commercial vessels carrying Indian mariners in the Gulf of Oman, which have resulted in the deaths of three Indian sailors.US embassy deputy chief of mission Jason Meeks was called to the Ministry of External Affairs’s headquarters at Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan around 2 pm and met additional secretary (Americas) Nagaraj Naidu. The diplomatic démarche comes two days after New Delhi summoned Meeks to protest the June 10 attack on the Palau flagged tanker MT Settebello, in which three Indian sailors were killed. It is understood that US ambassador Sergio Gor is still travelling outside India.Unlike the earlier summons, which took place late in the evening without public visibility, Friday’s meeting occurred during working hours with television cameras positioned outside and inside the ministry building.Later on Friday, US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran had attempted to hit Indian ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz in a “totally unacceptable” move that was ultimately “rebuffed”.In a statement issued after Naidu and Meeks’ meeting in the afternoon, the MEA said a “strong protest” had been lodged regarding the continuing attacks by US naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian mariners in the Gulf of Oman, which had already resulted in the “tragic and avoidable loss of three Indian lives”.“The ministry once again conveyed its deep concern over the use of lethal and deadly force against civilian shipping. Such actions are unacceptable and undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce in a sensitive region at a difficult time,” the statement said.Also read: Firm Managing Tanker Disputes US Version of Attack That Killed Three IndiansThe MEA added that Meeks had been asked to convey India’s concerns to Washington and to ensure that US forces operating in the region take all necessary measures to prevent the loss of civilian life.The latest protest follows a string of incidents involving merchant vessels carrying Indian sailors in the Gulf of Oman since June 8. The first involved the tanker MT Marivex, whose 24 Indian crew members were rescued after the vessel was struck. This was followed by the attack on MT Settebello, which left three Indians dead. The third incident involved MT Jalveer, which the US military acknowledged targeting on June 11.US Central Command said it had acted against Jalveer after the vessel allegedly attempted to transport Iranian oil. According to CENTCOM, a US aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with instructions from American forces. All 20 Indian crew members were subsequently evacuated ashore in Oman.Meanwhile Trump on Friday evening claimed that Iran had tried to strike Indian vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has blockaded in retaliation against the US-Israeli strikes on Iran that began in February.Iran’s “totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” he wrote on Truth Social. Media reports have cited US officials as saying American forces shot down Iranian drones that apparently sought to strike commercial traffic moving through the strait.Indian officials are attempting to verify the reports but have no details of these claims so far.The latest summons comes amid growing criticism of the government’s handling of the incidents following confirmation that the three Indian sailors missing from MT Settebello had died.Leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of remaining silent despite the deaths. “When any foreign power murders an Indian, the Prime Minister has to speak up,” Gandhi wrote on X. He added that Modi was expected to attend the G7 summit in France next week “just days after the murder of our sailors”, where the Indian PM “will smile, embrace, and sign agreements – but for those three Indians, he won’t have a word to spare”.The MEA had earlier condemned the attack on MT Settebello and described the continuing attacks on shipping in the region as “deeply worrisome”. India had called for immediate de-escalation, urged an end to attacks on commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure, and stressed the importance of safeguarding civilian seafarers and freedom of navigation.The three sailors killed in the attack on MT Settebello were identified as deck cadet Aditya Sharma, engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya and chief engineer Patnala Suresh.On Thursday, Dubai-based IOS Marine FZE, which manages Settebello, challenged the US military’s account of the attack and called for an independent international investigation. The company said no warning or communication had been successfully established with the vessel before force was used and rejected suggestions that the tanker had any connection to Iran.India’s largest seafarers’ union has also called for an independent inquiry into the attacks, arguing that civilian maritime workers were being placed in danger by the escalating conflict in the region.