'Fraught situation': Jaishankar conveys concerns to Tehran over Red Sea attacks

New Delhi: With the Houthi militants based in Yemen and allegedly backed by Iran carrying out attacks on the commercial vessels sailing through the Red Sea region, New Delhi on Monday conveyed its concerns to Tehran, underlining that the “fraught situation” was “not to the benefit of any party”.

Tehran, however, countered, stating that insecurity in the international waterways was caused by the support extended by the United States to Israel’s continued offensive against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas.

“As you are all aware, there have also been recently a perceptible increase in threats to the safety of maritime commercial traffic in this important part of the Indian Ocean,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Tehran.

He and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were addressing a joint news conference after a meeting.

“We have even seen some attacks in the vicinity of India. This is a matter of great concern to the international community. Obviously, it also has a direct bearing on India's energy and economic interests. This fraught situation is not to the benefit of any party, and this must be clearly recognised,” Jaishankar said sending out a subtle message to Amir-Abdollahian.

Amir-Abdollahian said that he had also emphasized the importance of providing security in international waterways near Iran. He, however, stressed that the continued support of the United States to Israel, allowing “war crimes” to be committed in the Gaza Strip was the root cause for insecurity in the entire region.

Jaishankar reiterated India’s long-standing support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, paving the way for the people of Palestine to live freely in an independent country within secure borders at peace with Israel.

“India has a long-standing and uncompromising position against terrorism in all forms and manifestations. This remains so very much,” the external affairs minister said. “At the same time,” he added, “we strongly believe that it is imperative to avoid loss of civilian life in any conflict situation.”

He and Amir-Abdollahian discussed the “deeply concerning situation in Gaza”. “The loss of civilian lives, especially that of women and children was our primary focus. There is a visible humanitarian crisis that needs to be addressed and the creation of sustainable humanitarian corridors is the need of the day,” he said.

The Houthis hijacked ‘Galaxy Leader’, a vehicle carrier, in the Red Sea near the Port of Hodeida in Yemen on October 19, when it was sailing from Körfez Port in Türkiye to Pipavav Port in India.

The militants based in Yemen over the past few weeks also attacked several other commercial vessels with drones and missiles in retaliation to Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip. The MV Chem Pluto, an oil and chemical tanker, was in the Arabian Sea on its way to Mangalore in India carrying crude oil from the Al Jubail port in Saudi Arabia when it was hit by a drone on December 23.

The incident signalled that the risk of attacks on maritime traffic expanding from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to a wider region – closer to the Exclusive Economic Zone of India. The MV Chem Pluto had 21 citizens of India and one Vietnamese onboard as members of the crew.

Another ship, MV Sai Baba, which had a crew of 25 Indians, also came under attack from the Houthis in the Red Sea on December 24.

President Joe Biden’s administration in Washington DC alleged that the drone that had hit MV Chem Pluto had been fired from Iran.

Tehran, however, dismissed the allegation by the US.

The MV Chem Pluto was brought to Mumbai on December 23. A preliminary probe by the Indian Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team on the vessel, particularly the analyses of the area of attack and the debris found on the ship, pointed towards a drone attack, the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi had stated on December 25, adding that further forensic and technical analysis would be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used.

Jaishankar visited Tehran and met Amir-Abdollahian ]about three weeks after the initial probe on the MV Chem Pluto by the Indian Navy.