'Not Discussed In Bilateral Setting': India on Trump's Call For Naval Coalition to Open Strait of Hormuz

New Delhi: As US President Donald Trump called for countries like China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK to send their navies to keep the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most strategically important energy chokepoint, India said that it has not yet held bilateral talks with the United States on deploying its naval assets in the area. 

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made this statement in response to Trump's call for countries to act so that the Strait “will no longer be a threat by a nation that has been totally decapitated.” However, instead of rallying behind Trump’s call, America’s closest partners seemed to be reluctant to be drawn into another US-led military venture.

“We are aware of this particular matter being discussed by several countries. We have not yet discussed it in a bilateral setting,” Jaiswal said in the press briefing, adding that India will continue to discuss this issue with multiple stakeholders.

Iran’s near blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and handles around 20 per cent of global crude oil and LNG shipments has led to a major energy crisis in the world.

Here's What Jaishankar Had Said

Speaking to a business daily, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that India does not have a “blanket arrangement” with Iran for the passage of Indian-flagged ships. However, talks are on with Tehran on their safe transit, and they are “ongoing” and “yielding results.”

“India has and continues to call for de-escalation, for exercise of restraint and for countries to adopt the path of dialogue and diplomacy so that there can be an early end to this conflict. We have also said that sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected,” Jaiswal had said.

Jaishankar had travelled to Brussels where he is slated to hold meetings with European Union counterparts, in which the developments in the Middle East are expected to be “high on agenda,” the MEA spokesperson said. 

“All issues of importance will be discussed – we have a large diaspora to take care of, we also have a responsibility on the side of energy security…for our people,” he added.

Status of Indian-Flagged Oil Tankers

Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said he had no information on when the 22 Indian-flagged vessels currently located to the west of the Strait in the Persian Gulf would be on their way home. He said that all the 611 Indian seafarers on these vessels, are safe.

Meanwhile, in a major development amid the uncertainities in West Asia, two Indian-flagged LPG carriers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. Shivalik reached Gujarat's Mundra port on Monday.

ALSO READ: LPG Tanker Shivalik Docks At Gujarat's Mundra Port Days After Crossing Strait Of Hormuz Amid Iran War