June 13, 2026
Sushila Devi sat sobbing on the floor of her house in Deoria, northern India after authorities told her that her husband was one of three sailors killed in a US attack on a ship off Oman.
"If he had told us about the dangers, I would have called him back," she cried out as women from the family gathered round to console her. "The government should not allow people to go there."
India on Friday took the rare step of lodging a second protest with the US over the strike that took place more than three months into the Iran war. Sushila Devi's words echoed calls also building up among Indians for their own government to do more to protect its sailors stuck in the Gulf.
Critics Want More Than 'Routine Protest'
