The American president has said he will work with New Delhi concerning the deaths of the seamen caused by US forces US President Donald Trump has commented on the deaths of three Indian sailors near the Strait of Hormuz, saying he had heard about the incident. The seamen were killed when US forces enforcing the blockade of Iran fired on their ship, the MT Settebello, last week. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France on Wednesday.Replying to a question from the press as to whether he had words of condolence for the grieving families, Trump said, “It’s [seafaring] a rough profession, and there is no question about it.” Pointing toward Modi, he said, “we will work together on it.” “We love all those people, they are great people,” Trump added.

The killings led to domestic pressure on the Modi government to raise the issue with the Trump administration. India on commercial ships to US Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks, who was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi twice. In his interaction with Trump, the prime minister said he hoped the deal with Iran would help ensure the safety of sailors.

“Hundreds of thousands of Indian seafarers are performing their duties across global maritime trade routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, contributing heavily to global progress,” Modi told Trump. “Their safety is of the utmost importance to us.” Altogether, three commercial ships with Indian crew were off Oman by US forces last week. In another case, an Indian sailor aboard a vessel trapped by the blockade died following an illness.

Media reports quoting seafarers’ union officials alleged that US Navy ships nearby had not responded to SOS messages from the ship’s captain. India has more than 300,000 seamen working across global shipping fleets. Of them, over 18,000 are employed in West Asia.