India is “deeply concerned” by the blockades in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday (September 15, 2026), even as the Houthis ramped up attacks on Saudi cities and a ship, carrying 14 Indian seafarers, was targeted on Sunday off the Oman coast.
Jaishankar and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Delhi. Saudi forces have carried out dozens of missile strikes on Yemen in retaliation. “We have condemned the attack on the Saudi sovereign territory, including on civilian infrastructure and economic assets. Mr. The Panamanian oil tanker El Gaia was believed to have struck an Iranian mine in the Strait of Hormuz and was being towed back to Oman. The U.S. military has claimed that the ship was targeted by an Iranian missile last month, and by a drone over the weekend. “The targeting of commercial shipping, targeting of seafarers, civilians and civilian infrastructure in the region is unacceptable to us. We also urge that free and safe navigation and flow of commerce through international waterways in the region be restored at the earliest,” he added. The spokesperson took questions on comments from Beijing about Mr. Xi’s concerns.
More than 2.4 million Indians live and work in Saudi Arabia, where several cities – including Abha, Jeddah, Jazan, Taif, Yanbu, Makkah, and AlUla – are on alert amid attacks from the Houthis. Jaiswal said Omani authorities are helping with search operations for a missing Indian seafarer after a ship with 23 crew members, including 14 Indians onboard, was hit off the Omani coast. All but two crew members, including 13 Indians, were rescued.
Such attacks undermine regional stability and threaten freedom of navigation through the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb,” Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press briefing, calling the Houthi strikes “unacceptable”. However, he said oil supplies from the region had not been affected thus far. “We deeply thank the Omani authorities for rescuing our nationals, and our Embassy (in Muscat) is in close touch,” Mr. Jaiswal said. After returning to Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters that the two leaders had reached an “important consensus” and claimed that Mr. Modi had said India would not allow “any force to engage in anti-China activities on its territory” in response to Mr. “Prime Minister [Modi] referred to Indian concerns as well and underlined that both sides should show sensitivity to each other’s core concerns and be guided by the three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity,” he said.
The developments in the Red Sea region were discussed on Sunday when External Affairs Minister S. Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit on Saturday.
