NEW DELHI: Palau-flagged vessel MT Settebello at the centre of the India-US standoff had ignored close to 60 verbal warnings before it came under fire from US forces last week, said a US official. The attack left three Indian nationals dead, after which India registered a protest with the USAccording to the official’s remarks, which were reported by AP from Washington, the vessel also did not heed repeated display of force by military aircraft like flares and flyovers meant to warn against violating the American blockade in the Gulf of Oman.External affairs minister S Jaishankar raised the issue with his counterpart Marco Rubio describing as unacceptable use of lethal force against civilian shipping. Rubio told him that the US would not tolerate any attempt to evade the blockade.The latest remarks by a US official sequencing developments that led to the attack seemed aimed at reassuring Indian authorities that US forces had not acted in a reckless manner in launching strikes on Settebello and two other foreign-flagged ships in the past week.However, the US is yet to express any regret for the deaths of Indian mariners.
