Congress leader Manish Tewari on Sunday called for External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to release the official readout of his conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying it would clarify India’s position in the diplomatic exchange linked to US naval actions in the Gulf that resulted in the death of three Indian mariners.
In a post on X, Tewari questioned whether India had responded firmly during the talks and used sharp language to criticise the handling of the communication.
“Rather than being namby pamby and wishy washy @DrSJaishankar must put out his read out of the call . It would be interesting to know whether @DrSJaishankar stood upto this coarseness,” he added.
Tewari also said Rubio’s remarks during the conversation reflected an “abrupt, abrasive confrontational” tone, and alleged there was “no regret, no remorse, no empathy, no sympathy” in the US response.
“No regret , No remorse, no empathy, no sympathy. Abrupt, abrasive confrontational. @SecRubio could not have been more belligerent. The sub text in between the lines - is Indian sailors were responsible for what happened to them. Hardly the language you use with a country you call a friend,” Tewari said.
According to the US Department of State, Rubio and Jaishankar discussed developments in the Strait of Hormuz. The statement said Rubio stressed that all commercial vessels in the region must comply with orders issued by US forces.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke yesterday with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The two officials discussed recent events in the Strait of Hormuz. The Secretary stressed that all commercial vessels should immediately comply with orders from U.S. forces as they seek to uphold peace and security in the Strait. He underscored that violations of the U.S. blockade and the illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated,” the Office of Spokesperson said.
Jaishankar on Saturday said he conveyed India’s strong protest over US Navy attacks in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners, calling such actions against commercial shipping unjustified.
“Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India's strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.
Other Congress leaders have also criticised Rubio’s remarks.
(With inputs from ANI)