INS Sunayna escorting an oil tanker as part of Operation Sankalp. (Via Indian Navy's Twitter handle)Amid heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf after the shooting down of a US drone, the Indian Navy has deployed its warships in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to reassure Indian vessels operating and transiting in the region.
In a statement, the Navy said that it has also begun aerial surveillance in the area. “INS Chennai and INS Sunayna have been deployed in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to undertake maritime security operations,” it said. While the INS Chennai is a destroyer, the INS Sunayna is an offshore patrol vessel.
“The Indian Navy launches Operation Sankalp in the Persian Gulf/Gulf of Oman to re-assure Indian flagged vessels transiting through the area following the recent maritime incidents in the region,” the Navy said. The Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region, which was inaugurated by the Navy in December 2018 at Gurgaon, was also monitoring the movement of ships in the Gulf region, it said.
India's strategic and security interests are closely linked to the Indian Ocean Region, particularly. (Via Indian Navy's Twitter handle)The move was announced after US President Donald Trump declared Thursday that “Iran made a very big mistake” by shooting down a US surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz and gathered top national security officials at the White House to discuss options.
On Friday, some of…
