NEW DELHI:  India summoned the ​U.S. deputy chief of mission in Delhi on ‌Friday ​to protest against U.S. military strikes on commercial vessels off the coast of Oman, an Indian source said, the second time in three days New Delhi has expressed its displeasure.U.S. deputy chief of mission ⁠to the country, Jason Meeks, was summoned by India for the first time on Wednesday following a U.S. navy attack that killed three Indian sailors ‌on Palau-flagged oil products tanker Settebello.On Thursday, another 20-Indian crewed ship was attacked, with no deaths or injuries ‌reported."MEA summoned Meeks to lodge a protest ‌against attacks on commercial vessels off the Coast of ‌Oman," the Indian ‌source said, referring to the Ministry of External Affairs as the Indian foreign ​ministry is officially ‌called.Sushila Devi, wife of Shivanand Chaurasia, an Indian seafarer aboard the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello, who was among three crew members killed in one of the U.S. attacks on Indian-crewed tankers this week amid a blockade of Iran-related shipping, mourns in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, India, June 12, 2026. REUTERS/Priyanshu Singh"Yesterday, yet ​another vessel with 20 Indian ⁠crew on board came under attack," the source added.The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi did not respond ​immediately ⁠to a request for ⁠comment.New Delhi and Washington have developed a close, strategic partnership over the last two decades and India ⁠summoning a U.S. diplomat to lodge a protest is rare.The strong ties between the two countries have come under pressure during President Donald Trump's second term, battered by Washington's tariffs and engagement with New ‌Delhi's rivals Pakistan and China.The killing of Indian sailors comes days before ​a likely meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the Group of 7 summit in France.

NEW DELHI:  India has barred commercial fuel buyers from purchasing gasoline and diesel from retail stations and capped daily diesel purchases to prevent local shortages amid disruptions to global supply chains due to the war in the Middle East.Retail ⁠fuel station dealers have been directed to sell no more than 200 litres of diesel per customer or vehicle a day, according to a government order issued late on Thursday, which added that buyers cannot resell ‌the fuel.Commercial users such as trucking companies have been buying diesel from retail outlets of state-run companies, where prices are lower than at bulk supply points, ‌leading to shortages at pumps in some areas.The government said ‌restrictions were needed to ensure equitable availability of petrol and diesel, prevent ‌diversion and hoarding, and maintain uninterrupted ‌fuel supplies at fair prices.PRICE ARBITRAGEDiesel, which accounts for about 40% of India's fuel demand, is sold at ​market rates to ‌industrial users at about ​40 rupees per litre more than retail ⁠prices, the government said.Diesel sales by private retailers, which price fuel closer to market rates, fell 58% last month, while those of state-run companies surged, ​with some areas ⁠seeing increases of ⁠more than 30%, the government said."The measures are aimed at large/bulk consumers who should not be procuring diesel from Retail Outlets to take undue advantage of the ⁠price arbitrage," it said.India is a net exporter of refined fuels, but higher domestic sales at subsidised rates are hitting the profitability of state retailers Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp, and Hindustan Petroleum Corp.The three companies control about 90% of India's more than 100,000 fuel stations.Referring to ‌the Iran war, the order said geopolitical tensions have strained global petroleum supply chains, shipping logistics and ​product availability, making prudent management and conservation necessary.The measures will remain in force for an initial period of up to 90 days unless revoked earlier, the order said.