India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday clarified that the recent call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump was only between the two of them and Tesla CEO Elon Musk did not join in, refuting claims regarding the same made by the New York Times.
The MEA issued a statement on Saturday: “We have seen the story. The telephone conversation on March 24 was only between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump. As stated earlier, it provided an opportunity to exchange views on the situation in West Asia.”
Regarding the call between the two leaders, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “President Trump has a great relationship with Prime Minister Modi and it was a productive conversation,” according to an ANI report.
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In its report, which claimed that Musk had joined the call between the two leaders, the NYT said it had been briefed by two US officials familiar with the matter and asked the outlet to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak about the call.
What did Modi say about the call?
In the call between Modi and Trump, the leaders of the world’s two largest democracies discussed the ongoing West Asian conflict and the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, according to social media posts by Sergio Gore, the US ambassador to India.
It was the first time Modi and Trump had spoken directly since the start of the coordinated US-Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February.
“India supports de-escalation and restoration of peace as soon as possible. Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is critical to the entire world,” Modi said in a social media post.
From shipping and gas supplies to aviation, the conflict in West Asia has severely affected operations in the Strait of Hormuz, where around 40% of India’s oil imports flow.
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On Monday, Modi told parliament that India faces unprecedented challenges due to the Strait of Hormuz crisis, but the fundamentals of India’s economy are strong and there is enough fertilizer, oil and coal to weather energy and trade disruptions.
Sibal criticizes Modi government amid crisis in West Asia
Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, meanwhile, criticized the Modi government, saying at a press conference on Saturday that it is India that has suffered the most since the war began.
“I asked myself this morning who has suffered the most and is likely to suffer the most because of the US-Israeli-Iranian conflict. I have come to the conclusion that it is India,” Sibal told a press conference in New Delhi.
He pointed out that while Russia has huge oil reserves, China gets only 20 percent of its imports through the Strait of Hormuz.
“As far as India is concerned, it imports about 88.6 percent of its oil. China also has a lot of imports, but it gets them from other sources… India imports 50 million barrels of oil and about 30 million barrels come from the Middle East, which is $160 a barrel now, about 60 percent more to pay for that,” Sibal said.
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“We are buying urea at a 50 percent higher price. That’s also where LNG, LPG, sulfur and helium largely come from. Because of that, you see queues and there will be supply shortages, hoarding, black marketing, which would in turn affect stagflation, high interest rates, falling FDI according to an intelligence agency in India,” Sibal said.
“China has a strategic stockpile of 120 days, Japan has a strategic stockpile of 208 days, and South Korea has a strategic stockpile of 200 days. I ask the prime minister why we only have a strategic stockpile of seven to eight days.”
“Why our country didn’t think ahead about what will happen when Hormuz is closed…it’s because you are only interested in thinking ahead, when the election comes, how you win the election, the nation is not your first priority,” Sibal said, according to PTI.
“China has a strategic stockpile of 120 days, Japan has a strategic stockpile of 208 days, and South Korea has a strategic stockpile of 200 days. I ask the prime minister why we only have a strategic stockpile of seven to eight days.”
Referring to Trump, he referred to the prime minister, saying: “You need to call US President Donald Trump and ask, ‘Why are you hurting us the most? We are your dearest friends. If Hormuz is closed, we will face economic hardship’.”
Sibal also believes that the conflict will be long-term.
“This will be a long-term conflict. The Americans should have known this when they entered the war. The Prime Minister must convey these facts to India. Why can’t our Prime Minister tell us what happened?” he said.
“We are with the prime minister, but he has to be with the people and clarify what the situation is and what consequences India may face due to the conflict,” Sibal said.
