Indian warships sent to strategic Gulf waters

India has sent warships and stepped up aerial surveillance in strategic Gulf waters, the Press Trust of India reported on Thursday.

INS Chennai and INS Sunayna have been deployed in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Gulf to “undertake maritime security operations,” the navy said, quoted by PTI.

The navy said it aims to reassure Indian-flagged vessels operating in the waters, “following the maritime security incidents in the region.”

Six tankers have been attacked with explosive devices in the last six weeks in the region in operations blamed on Iran.

Many Asian countries rely heavily on oil imports from the Gulf and the rise in tensions between Iran and the US and its allies has made many nervous that supplies will continue unaffected

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Iran made a “big mistake” by shooting down a US spy drone over the Strait of Hormuz Thursday. The waterway links the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and is a conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil.

“Aerial surveillance by IN aircraft is also being undertaken in the area,” India’s navy said, according to PTI.

India’s ambassador to Washington said in May that his energy-hungry nation had ended all imports of oil from Iran, in response to threatened US sanctions.