India on Monday said it has not held any bilateral talks with the United States on measures to ensure safe passage of merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The clarification from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) came amid calls from US President Donald Trump, who urged several countries to deploy warships to help keep the strategically important maritime corridor open.
According to PTI, at a press conference for the media, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We are aware that this particular issue is being discussed by several countries. We have not yet discussed it at the bilateral level.”
The remarks were made in response to a question about whether the United States had approached India to send warships to the area.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India will continue to consult with various stakeholders on the issue.
In his comments, Jaiswal also reiterated India’s call to de-escalate tensions in West Asia.
“We have and continue to call for de-escalation, for restraint and for countries to adopt the path of dialogue and diplomacy so that there can be an early end to this conflict. We have also said that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected,” he noted.
International oil and gas prices surged after Iran effectively blocked traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman that carries about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas reserves.
In a social media post, Trump expressed hope that countries such as China, France, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom, among others affected by Iran’s attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz, would deploy naval forces to the region to help keep the vital shipping lane “safe and open.”
So far, however, there has been no firm response from major powers.
In response to the development, China called on all parties to immediately halt military actions in West Asia to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz remains accessible to global maritime trade.
Jaishankar on Iran
In an interview with the Financial Times, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that India does not have a “blanket” with Iran to allow Indian-flagged vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
However, he noted that discussions with Tehran to ensure safe transit of Indian ships are “ongoing” and “yielding results”.
Meanwhile, two Indian-flagged LPG carriers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, carrying a total of 92,712 metric tonnes of LPG, successfully crossed the strategic waterway early on Saturday. Shivalik arrived at Gujarat’s Mundra port today.
