US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore said on Tuesday that the United States will support India’s participation in efforts to end the war in West Asia. His comments come after the collapse of US-Iran peace talks held in Pakistan’s Islamabad last week, which also raised concerns about whether a two-week ceasefire, which still has a week to go, will hold.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, where they discussed the situation in West Asia and the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe”. This was the third call between the two leaders this year, and the first since the recent talks between Iran and the United States. Follow live updates of the US-Iran war here.
The American envoy regarding India’s participation in efforts to end the war
Asked whether the United States wants India to help reduce tensions in West Asia, Gaur said it is up to India to decide whether it wants to participate in talks to end the conflict.
He also said that the US feels that “many other countries” could be part of this process, as mentioned in an earlier HT report. His comments came after Pakistan hosted the first direct talks between Iran and the United States in 47 years over the weekend, although the discussions led to no results.
Read also | After Trump’s America and Iran close the Strait of Hormuz, how will this affect India? He explained
He added: “Right now, there is only one country holding the Strait of Hormuz hostage. So, of course, we welcome all parties to encourage its reopening. These are international waters. No country should be able to… blockade the entire world.”
“This is a question for the Indian government. But from our side, the president has offered engagement across the world, as you have seen engagement happening,” Gaur told news agency PTI.
When asked if the US had asked India for help in reopening the road, he said: “I don’t want to say we asked for help, but it was just an update call.”
Gore on “expensive” deals between India and the United States
Speaking about relations between the two countries, Gore said that several “big items” were discussed, including the energy deal. These are likely to be finalized before US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to India in May. He added that the United States also looks forward to the meeting of the Quartet foreign ministers during the visit.
Asked whether the pending trade deal was part of the Modi-Trump call, Gore said the talks “focused on several big items” that might be announced “over the next few days or the next few weeks.”
India and the United States have been working to repair their relationship after tensions last year, when Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25% duty linked to India’s purchase of Russian energy. Those tariffs were later reduced after Trump and Modi said in February that progress had been made toward a bilateral trade agreement.
