BY SANJEEB KUMAR SAHOO
Before sharing my thoughts on the April 2 Press Conference of Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in #WestAsia, I would like to question why Indian Prime Minister #NarendraModi did not raise the issue of the loss of Indian mariners’ lives in attacks on merchant shipping in the #Gulf with global leaders during his 21 phone conversations with the heads of state of most West Asian countries, including US President #DonaldTrump and European leaders like French President #EmmanuelMacron and Netherlands Prime Minister #RobJetten.
Since #Adani, #Ambani, #Jain, #Agarawal, #Birla, #Goenka, and #Rao-led big corporate media houses are busy hosting events at #Taj Hotel and #Ashoka Hotels to promote prominent politicians and generate #crores with their support.
So I am raising this issue here for the sake of the respected 150 crore people of India, and it’s my #national duty. That is why I mentioned in the first paragraph the loss of Indian mariners in attacks on merchant shipping in the Gulf, because I haven’t seen any tweets from India’s Prime Minister, #NarendraModi, in the last 34 days (since the United States and Israel jointly attacked on February 28 and the war has been put on hold by the United States pf America for 10 days) mentioning that India lost mariners in attacks on merchant shipping in the #Gulf. And the 10-day pause deadline for United States pf America (#USA) strikes on #Iranian energy facilities, which President #DonaldTrump announced on March 26-27, 2026, is set for Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
And I only learned about the loss of mariners after India’s Foreign Secretary #VikramMisri, who represented India at UK-led talks on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the ongoing conflict in West Asia on April 2, stated that India is the only country to have lost mariners in the conflict-hit #StraitOfHormuz.
Since the first time in 34 days, someone from the Indian government, Vikram Misri, has stated that India has lost mariners because I have been continuously following the PIB press conference on the West Asia crisis, but I have not heard from officers who appeared at the press conference since March 11.
“Emphasised the impact of the crisis on India’s energy security and the fact that India remains the only country to have lost mariners in attacks on merchant shipping in the Gulf,” Ministry of External Affairs said in its statement on April 2, 2026.
And why hasn’t Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought up the matter with any world leaders thus far? Only he and his ministers are able to explain the true reason, and as of now, Vikram Misri has spoken about it.
Let’s go right to the point: I didn’t hear anything new from Narendra Modi government officials during the press conference on April 2 at the National Media Centre in #NewDelhi, nor was there any information regarding any ships that would be arriving in India after passing the Strait of Hormuz.
However, I only learned during the press conference that a total of 18 Indian-flagged vessels with 485 Indian seafarers continue to remain in the western Persian Gulf region. The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping), in coordination with shipowners, RPSL (Recruitment & Placement) agencies, and Indian Missions, is actively monitoring the situation.
I would like to conclude by stating that, according to Kpler-owned MarineTraffic, which tracks ships using transponder signalling, #PingShun, a US-sanctioned ship carrying Iranian crude oil that was originally bound for India’s west coast terminal of #Vadinar in #Gujarat, is now bound for Dongying in #China.
NOTE: The Persian Gulf, often known as the #ArabianGulf, is a West Asian Mediterranean Sea. Situated between #Iran (#Persia) and the #ArabianPeninsula, the body of water is an extension of the #ArabianSea and the wider #IndianOcean. The #StraitOfHormuz connects it to the Gulf of Oman in the east. The northwest coastline is formed by the Shatt al-Arab river delta.
