New Delhi [India], March 12 (ANI): India on Thursday strongly condemned attacks on merchant vessels after multiple incidents in the West Asia region led to the deaths and injuries of Indian crew members working on commercial ships

Speaking during the weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India opposes attacks on merchant shipping 'from any quarters' and confirmed that several Indian nationals have been affected in recent incidents.

'We've lost so far three Indian nationals, and the fourth Indian national is missing. All four nationals were part of the crew on board merchant ships...Our embassies in Oman and Iraq and our consulate in Dubai are working with local authorities to have their mortal remains transported back to India at the earliest. This is also the reason why India strongly condemns the attacks on merchant ships from any quarters,' he said.

Talking about the latest casualty which occured on the Safesea Vishnu ship, Jaiswal said, 'The latest casualty of an Indian national happened on board the ship Safesea Vishnu, which is a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel. This happened close to Iraq...The one Indian national who passed away, we convey our deepest condolences and we'll see how best we can have the mortal remains transported from there to India. As far as people who are injured, over two dozen Indian nationals have been injured in this conflict so far.'

Jaiswal also provided details about other vessels that came under attack during the conflict.

'This particular merchant vessel, Skylight, which came under attack, where we lost one Indian National, and one continues to be missing. There, the eight members who were on board, their travel documents and the necessary formalities have been completed. The embassy in Muscat is in touch with the company so that other requirements can be fulfilled and they can come back home...The other ship, which came under attack, was MKD VYOM. There we lost one Indian national and 16 of them have returned back home,' he said.

The MEA spokesperson also said India is closely monitoring the safety of its citizens in the wider region and assisting those who wish to leave affected areas.

'The External Affairs Minister spoke to the Foreign Minister of Indonesia some time back. The two leaders exchanged perspectives on the West Asia conflict. They also discussed issues of bilateral importance and cooperation...The Embassy in Tehran is helping Indian nationals to leave Iran who want to leave the country via Armenia and Azerbaijan, availing the commercial flight options that are available from these two countries,' he further said.

'Our embassy in Tehran is helping Indian nationals with visa facilitation, as well as international land border crossings. Several of our nationals have taken advantage of this option and have come back to India. We urge other Indian nationals who wish to leave Iran to take advantage of this handholding that is being done by the embassy. Our embassy has also issued an advisory,' Jaiswal added.

The incidents come amid rising tensions in West Asia following joint US-Israeli military operations that resulted in the killing of Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on February 28. In retaliation, Iran targeted Israeli and US assets across several Gulf countries, disrupting key shipping routes and affecting global energy markets. (ANI)