Will find perpetrators of attacks on merchant navy ships even from 'depths of the seas': Rajnath
Mumbai, Dec 26: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday vowed to ferret out the perpetrators of the attacks on merchant navy ships MV Chem Pluto and MV Sai Baba even from the "depths of the seas" and take tough action against them.
Speaking after the commissioning of stealth-guided missile destroyer INS Imphal here, Singh said India has taken the incidents very seriously.
"India's growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred. The Indian government has taken the attacks on MV Chem Pluto and attack on MV Sai Baba in the Red Sea very seriously. We will find those who executed the recent attacks on merchant navy ships even from the depths of the seas and take strict action against them. The perpetrators will soon be brought to justice and strict action will be taken against them," he said.
India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean Region and will ensure that maritime trade in this region touches greater heights, Singh said.
"For this, together with our friend countries, we will keep the sea lanes secure. We have full confidence in the ability and strength of our Navy," the minister added.
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said the Indian Navy will take robust action including boarding and searching all suspicious vessels.
"We don't want these attacks to come any closer. The closest attack that has happened is about 220 miles from our coast (referring to the attack on MV Chem Pluto) which is outside our EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), but we want to ensure that nobody dares to come anywhere closer," Kumar said while talking to reporters.
Four destroyers, P-8I aircraft, Dorniers, Sea Guardians, helicopters and Coast Guard ships have been deployed to counter the threats of piracy and drone attacks, he said earlier at during the event.
MV Chem Pluto with 21 Indian crew members was struck by a drone about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on Saturday following which both the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard deployed a number of assets to provide assistance to the ship.
MV Sai Baba, a Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members, came under a drone attack in the southern Red Sea.
Replying to a reporter's question about the attack on the MV Chem Pluto, Kumar said the debris of the possible drone attack has been collected.
"I don't want to take any guess. It (the drone attack) can be made from anywhere....We are analysing it to see what type of attack it is, if it is a drone then what was its type. We are trying to piece together the evidence. It will be a challenge to find where it was made, from where was it launched --- ship or shore," Kumar said.
"There are multiple questions to be answered in this. We can't say who has done this," he added.
It was a matter of concern that the number of attacks on merchant navy ships in the region has gone up, Kumar said.
Since November 19, there have been 30 drone and piracy attacks in the region which mean roughly one attack a day. Earlier there were barely four to five incidents a year, Kumar said.
About 50 percent of the 30 attacks have happened in the Red Sea and no attacks have taken place against Indian-flagged merchant vessels. There have been instances of attacks on vessels with flags of other countries and having some Indian crew, he said.
"The frequency of attacks has definitely gone up. We have decided to take very robust action to protect our merchant shipping. We have decided to take very effective action," Kumar said.
Elaborating on the anti-piracy operations of the Indian Navy, he said since 2008 India has been undertaking anti-piracy patrols and anti-armed robbery operations, and deployed ships even off the west coast of Africa.
Through Operation Sankalp in the north Arabian Sea, the Navy has been having continuous presence to ensure the safety of ships, he said.
"We have decided to bolster the numbers. We have two major platforms in the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman. In the central to north Arabian Sea, we have two more units deployed. We are going to augment that further," the Navy chief said.
"I have given clear instructions. We will spare no effort and put additional units and hope to bring this under control," Kumar added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
