Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit France to attend the G7 summit on Tuesday and Wednesday, where he is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit.
This will be the first meeting between Modi and Trump after the former traveled to Washington in February 2025 to be among the first few world leaders to meet with Trump after his election for a second term. The meeting also comes amid ongoing tensions between the two countries, especially after Indian sailors caught fire during fighting between the US and Iran in the Gulf.
Read also: Rupee easing and oil prices: What the US-Iran peace deal means for India
Here’s how tensions between India and the US are escalating
Attack on ships with Indians on board
Last week was a difficult week for Indian sailors in the Gulf, as several ships with Indians on board were caught in the line of fire, with at least three Indians killed after the Palau-flagged MT Setibelo was attacked by a US aircraft off the coast of Oman.
Two other ships, the MT Marifix and the MT Gulliver, were also attacked by the US Navy last week.
Following the two tragic deaths, the State Department twice summoned US Chargé d’Affairs Jason Meeks.
Read also: “If you import people…”: Trump says immigration could make US a ‘third world country’
“A strong protest has been made to him regarding the ongoing attacks by the US Navy on merchant ships carrying Indian sailors in the Gulf of Oman, which have already resulted in the tragic and avoidable loss of the lives of three Indians,” the State Department said in a statement issued on June 12.
The first recall was issued on June 9.
Jaishankar-Rubio call
The killing of Indian sailors in the Gulf prompted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to call his US counterpart Marco Rubio and register a protest over the killing of three Indian sailors in US attacks on ships, saying it was “unjustified”.
Track live updates of the US-Iran war here
The two leaders spoke on Friday after which Jaishankar wrote on X that he “reiterated India’s strong protest against the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that resulted in the deaths of three Indian sailors.”
However, Rubio said in response that the United States would not tolerate any violations of its blockade of Iranian ports, and that commercial shipping must comply with orders from US forces.
A statement issued by US State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said that Rubio “stressed that all commercial vessels must immediately comply with orders from US forces as they seek to support peace and security in the Strait.”
Rubio also added that “violations of the US blockade and the illicit transfer of Iranian oil will not be tolerated,” according to the reading.
Tariffs tensions
The long-awaited meeting between Modi and Trump will be the first after the US president imposed a harsh 50% tariff on India last year, half of which was a penalty for buying oil from Russia. However, the US Supreme Court later overturned these tariffs, and the two countries also reached an understanding on the framework of a bilateral trade agreement in February this year.
A business deal is in the works
Meanwhile, India and the United States are actively working on concluding a bilateral trade agreement, which is almost 99% complete, according to US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore.
“Our current interim trade agreement is on the table for us to finalize, and that would unlock prosperity for both of our countries,” Gore said in May. “India has sent a team to Washington, D.C., to finalize the last 1 percent of that trade deal.”
