Jaishankar Tells G20 Ministers in Atlanta That Hormuz Ship Attacks Hit the Global South; 29 Indian Crew Safe After Two Tanker Strikes

Since the US-Iran war began in February, the Strait of Hormuz has gone from a chokepoint to a combat zone. Today, Oct. 30, the fallout reached a diplomatic table in Atlanta.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke at the first plenary of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting, hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He summarized his remarks in a post on X afterward.

"Global South is disproportionately bearing the consequences of attacks on civilian shipping and seafarers, jeopardising the availability and cost of fuel, food and fertilizers," Jaishankar wrote.

He called for "cessation of attacks within the framework of international law, especially UNCLOS," the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. He also said India and Liberia have launched a joint initiative to safeguard seafarers.

Diplomacy over force, no names named

Jaishankar also said that "military solutions will not work and diplomacy must be given a chance." His post did not name any country.

He went beyond shipping. He said the right to industrialize is being denied through "flooding of markets, weaponising supply chains, constricting market access and encouraging market distortions," and added, "This must cease."

On terrorism, he said: "Tactical calculations should not lead to overlooking the dangers of terrorism. It is a high-risk activity which has come back to bite even the practitioners."

Rubio said afterward on X that he had made clear that maritime and food security drive economic security. In his opening remarks, he warned that the world faces a "moment of choosing." The two-day meeting ends Saturday, Oct. 31. Jaishankar is expected to attend a Quad foreign ministers' meeting and hold bilateral talks on the sidelines, according to Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

Two tankers, 29 Indian crew

India has a direct stake. It is one of the world's largest suppliers of seafarers.

Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on X that the Liberia-flagged VLCC MT Arzanah, carrying two Indian nationals, was targeted on Oct. 29. He said the Panama-flagged crude tanker MT Louise 1, carrying 27 Indian seafarers, was targeted on Oct. 30. Both were hit in the Strait of Hormuz, he said. "All 29 Indian seafarers across both vessels are completely safe with no injuries," Sonowal wrote.

Sonowal described both incidents as projectile attacks. Separate reporting describes damage to the Louise 1 from limpet mines. That account has not been reconciled publicly with the minister's description.

India Today reported that at least 22 Indians, including 14 seafarers, have died since the war began in February.

Tehran's stated position

Iran has a different account of who controls the water. The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ahmed Vahidi, said on X: "No extra-regional power has the right to threaten, maintain a domineering presence, or interfere in it. The Strait of Hormuz is Iran's strategic red line."

The IRGC navy claimed that a supertanker suffered a massive explosion after striking a naval mine while trying to leave Hormuz by a route Tehran had not authorized.

Washington says freedom of navigation in international waters is inviolable. Gulf states that depend on the strait for trade have said the same, according to CNN.

CNN counted more than a dozen strikes on shipping since the end of September. It reported that six commercial vessels were struck in and around the strait on a single Sunday, the highest one-day count since the war began, according to shipping industry experts. Crude has stayed above $100 a barrel.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations, which tracks shipping incidents, said ships in UAE waters were told over VHF radio to move from their anchorages. The UAE National Guard said it rescued 22 people, all Indian citizens, after an oil tanker fire.

The midterm clock

President Trump said Thursday on Truth Social: "We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd." He said the administration is "having productive discussions" with Tehran and that his main goal is to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The pledge has a stated end date. Polling-day energy costs are a live issue for Republicans, who face the possible loss of the House, the Senate, or both, according to CNN.

Jaishankar's appeal sits alongside Rubio's maritime-security framing, and both come days before that deadline. The Atlanta meeting wraps up Saturday. Whether the G20 produces anything beyond individual ministers' statements on Hormuz has not been announced.