'Can't protect sons of Mother India': Rahul Gandhi attacks 'compromised' PM Modi for silence on killing of Indian sailors by US Navy

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his silence on the killing of three Indian sailors in a US Navy attack, saying that as a “compromised PM,” he is unable to protect the "sons of Mother India."Also Read | 'Armed robbery and state piracy': Iran condemns US attack on ship that killed 3 Indian sailors"Three Indians have been killed in US attacks on three ships in international waters within three days. And our Compromised PM? Not a single word. When any foreign power murders an Indian, the Prime Minister has to speak up. But heaven forbid he should utter even one word," Gandhi wrote on X."Next week at the G7, just days after the murder of our sailors, Modi ji will smile, embrace, and sign agreements - but for those three Indians, he won't have a word to spare. A Compromised PM cannot protect the sons of Mother India, because he lacks either the courage or the strength to confront those who took the lives of those sons," the Lok Sabha LoP added.The United States Navy has attacked three merchant vessels carrying Indian crew members in the past four days in the Gulf of Oman for allegedly attempting to breach the US naval blockade of Iran. The Palau-flagged oil tankers Marivex and Settebello were struck on June 8 and June 10, respectively, while the Guinea-Bissau-flagged bitumen tanker MT Jalveer was attacked on Thursday.The three sailors who were killed were part of the crew of MT Settebello. They were identified as Aditya Sharma, Suresh Patnala and Shivanand Chaurasiya.Washington has imposed a naval blockade of Iran in response to Tehran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime route through which approximately 20% of the world's crude oil supply passes.Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz in early March following US and Israeli strikes across the Islamic Republic on February 28, an escalation that sparked the broader regional conflict.Active hostilities were paused on April 8 under a ceasefire arrangement, which was subsequently extended indefinitely. However, the truce has remained largely ineffective, as attacks have continued despite the pause in fighting.