New Delhi: United States (US) President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday to discuss discuss the situation in West Asia and Hormuz security. After the call, the PM said in a post on X, “Received a call from my friend President Donald Trump. We reviewed the substantial progress achieved in our bilateral cooperation in various sectors. We are committed to further strengthening our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership in all areas. We also discussed the situation in West Asia and stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure.”
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Both leaders stressing the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz “open and secure” assumes significance as the statement comes at a time of heightened global anxiety over the US naval blockade of Iran’s ports and indications that Washington and Tehran could move towards a second round of direct talks following the collapse of earlier negotiations in Islamabad.
Tuesday’s exchange was the third phone call between Modi and Trump this year and the first since the recent Iran-US peace talks. The two leaders had earlier spoken on February 2, when they reviewed progress on a trade deal, and again on March 24 to discuss the West Asia situation, indicating sustained high-level engagement between New Delhi and Washington through the unfolding crisis.
Responding to Modi’s post on X, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor wrote: “A very positive and productive call! Stay tuned…”
Gor later told journalists that India and the US are expected to finalise several “big-ticket deals”, including in the energy sector, in the coming “few days and weeks”, though he did not divulge any more details.
Commenting on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Gor criticised Iran’s actions and linked them to rising global energy prices. “You have a nation that is holding the entire world hostage. These are international waterways. There are international treaties,” he said, reported PTI. “There’s only one reason that prices (of oil and gas) have gone up (and that) is because somebody is holding this area hostage.”
“So obviously the United States wants to open this waterway. And so, I think it benefits the whole world, including here in India,” he added.
Gor said the leaders also discussed the blockade and the need to restore normal shipping flows. “It’s not for me to announce any future talks. They did talk about the blockade and the importance of it reopening as soon as possible. Frankly, this whole region, the whole world is suffering because of this,” he said.
“Why should one country be able to turn off the lights anywhere else in the world? It’s unfair. It needs to stop, and the United States is determined to make that happen,” he added.
The call came two days after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri concluded a three-day visit to Washington DC, signalling ongoing diplomatic engagement between the two sides. India-US relations had seen strain in recent months following US tariff measures and remarks by Trump on his role in de-escalating India-Pakistan tensions last year. However, both sides have since moved to stabilise ties.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit India next month for talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other senior officials, in what is expected to further advance bilateral engagement.
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