- The US welcomes India's involvement in ending the Middle East war, Ambassador Sergio Gor said
- India must decide its role in the peace process, according to the US envoy
- President Donald Trump supports all countries wanting to help resolve the conflict, he said
The US would welcome India's involvement in efforts to end the war in the Middle East, American Ambassador to India Sergio Gor told NDTV today. However, India has to decide what it wants to do, he added.
"The United States would welcome their involvement as they have welcomed many other countries," Gor said to a question whether India could play a role in the peace process. "That would be a question for India, to be honest… I think the whole world can have a role in the peace process, and that includes India."
President Donald Trump was not being selective about who could help bring the conflict to a close, Gor said. "The president welcomes everybody who wants to be involved in this. The president welcomes anybody who wants to be a part of it."
The interview came hours after Gor returned from Washington, where he said he had met "virtually the entire cabinet" including the commerce secretary, treasury, the USTR and the Department of Defence, as well as Trump.
"We have a lot of big-ticket items," he said, indicating announcements on trade and bilateral issues could come within days, but declined to specify what they would cover. "You might see some news over the next few days, but it's not for me to give you tonight."
Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke for some 40 minutes, he said, and confirmed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would visit India next month ahead of a planned visit by Trump.
Later, PM Modi in a post on X said he 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," PM Modi said.
Gor, in response, said, "A very positive and productive call! Stay tuned…"
Without naming Iran, Gor said only one country is holding the Strait of Hormuz hostage. "These are international waters. No country should be able to hold and blockade the whole world," he told NDTV, adding Washington has been asking all nations to press for the waterway to reopen, a call that extended to New Delhi as well.
The US-Iran standoff deepened today as the US declared it had blockaded Iran's ports, following which Tehran threatened to strike targets across the region. Pakistan said it was racing to bring the sides together for another round of talks.
Two Pakistani officials said the first talks were part of an ongoing diplomatic process rather than a one-off effort, news agency AP reported.
Despite the blockade, three chemical and oil tankers that were earlier sanctioned by the US for dealing with Iran, passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday and Tuesday. Rich Starry, a medium-range tanker earlier known as Full Star, was blacklisted by Washington in 2023 for helping Tehran evade energy sanctions. Murlikishan and Elpis are the other two tankers that crossed the waterway through Iran-approved routes.
The US military's blockade of Iran's ports and the escalation in the strait will block around two million barrels of Iranian oil per day, tightening global supply and leading to a further rise in prices of petroleum products.
Trump has said the US will not allow any ships to pay a toll to Iran for passing through the strait. In the last one week, Brent crude oil prices have surged 6.5 per cent to nearly $98 per barrel.
