India on Friday summoned US Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks for the second time and lodged a strong protest over continuing attacks by American naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian mariners in the Gulf of Oman, incidents that have already claimed the lives of three Indians.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said a “strong protest was conveyed to Meeks” during the meeting with the Additional Secretary (Americas). Friday’s démarche marks the second time in last three days that the US envoy was summoned over attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf of Oman.Iran too accused the US of carrying out “brutal attacks” on Indian vessels that claimed the lives of three sailors. It urged the international community to hold Washington accountable for “lawless conduct threatening global peace and freedom of navigation”.Even as India and Iran blamed the US forces for the attacks, President Donald Trump sought to pin responsibility on Tehran. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “Their totally rebuffed drone attack last night against Indian ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz is totally unacceptable. They (Iran) better get their act together, and fast!”The remarks came despite the US military itself having publicly acknowledged attacking the Guinea Bissau-flagged oil tanker MT Jalveer (in which three Indians died) at 11.20 pm ET on June 10 after the vessel allegedly violated the blockade by attempting to transport Iranian oil. The contradiction is likely to add to questions surrounding responsibility for the attacks.The MEA on Friday expressed “deep concern over the use of lethal and deadly force against civilian shipping” and said such actions were “unacceptable” as these undermined “the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce in a sensitive region at a difficult time”.The US diplomat was also asked to convey India’s concerns to Washington and ensure that the US forces operating in the region took all necessary measures to prevent further loss of civilian life.The latest diplomatic protest came a day after another commercial vessel carrying 20 Indian crew members came under attack. The crew members are understood to be safe. The incident followed an earlier attack on a merchant vessel in which three Indian seafarers, initially reported missing, were later confirmed dead. Their deaths marked the first known Indian fatalities linked to the escalating maritime crisis in the region.The attacks have heightened concerns in New Delhi over the safety of thousands of Indian seafarers employed aboard merchant ships traversing the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest maritime trade corridors.