Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump spoke on Tuesday and discussed the crisis in the Middle East and “the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open,” US envoy Sergio Gor said in a post on X.
“President Donald Trump just spoke with Prime Minister Modi. They discussed the ongoing situation in the Middle East, including the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open,” Gor wrote on X.
Prime Minister Modi confirmed that President Trump called him and “had a useful exchange of views on the situation in West Asia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X: “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. We have agreed to stay in touch on peace and stability efforts.”
Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas shipping route, has been effectively closed amid the ongoing war between the US, Israel and Iran.
Following the February 28 killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by joint US-Israeli military strikes and subsequent retaliatory strikes and Iran’s virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz, international waterways and global energy markets have been severely disrupted.
Statement by PM Modi on Strait of Hormuz
Sergio’s comments came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (March 24): “About 1 million Indians live and work in the Gulf countries. Protecting their lives and livelihoods is a matter of great concern to India.”
He said that several ships were stranded in the Strait of Hormuz and that Indian crew members were stranded on these ships in large numbers.
“This too is a cause of great concern for India. In such a difficult situation, it is important that the upper house of India sends a united voice of peace and dialogue,” Prime Minister Modi said in Parliament on Tuesday, March 24.
“The Strait of Hormuz is one of the biggest routes for global trade. A significant amount of transportation related to oil, gas and fertilizers takes place through this region…,” PM Modi said. He noted that “the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz has become very difficult.”
PM Modi added, “Our effort is to ensure that oil and gas supplies reach India from anywhere. The country is witnessing the results of these efforts. In the last few days, ships carrying oil and LPG from several countries have arrived in India. Our efforts in this direction will continue in the coming days.”
Later, Rajesh Sinha, special secretary of the shipping ministry, said: “No permit is required (to cross the Strait of Hormuz)…it is an international strait. Permit was not required earlier. It is not required today. You certainly assess the situation, how is the security going to be, how should one move, what time should one move, but still it is not that permission is required from anybody.”
Trump’s ‘very good talks’ claim.
Trump has made another spectacular U-turn, from threatening to escalate the Iran war to announcing “very good” talks on ending it, which the Islamic Republic has denied.
According to AFP, the move could indicate that Trump is once again buying time before sending US ground troops to try to open the Strait of Hormuz or seize Iran’s oil assets.
