India on Monday said it hasn't engaged in bilateral talks with the US to ensure safe transit of merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. The remarks by the Ministry of External Affairs came against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump calling on several countries to send warships to keep the strategically key shipping route open. Global oil and gas prices have surged after Iran virtually blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). In a social media post, Trump hoped that China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and other countries affected by Iran's attempted closure of the Strait of Hormuz, will send warships to the region to keep the shipping route "safe and open".
There has not been any concrete response by the leading countries. In its reaction, China called on all sides to immediately stop military operations in West Asia to help keep Strait of Hormuz open for international transport. "We are aware of this particular matter being discussed by several countries. We have not yet discussed it in a bilateral setting," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing. His remarks came in response to a question on whether the US had approached India to send its warships to the region.
India will continue its discussions with several stakeholders on this matter, Jaiswal said. In an interview to the Financial Times, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India does not have a "blanket arrangement" with Iran for Indian-flagged ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, he said talks with Tehran on the safe passage of Indian vessels were "ongoing" and "yielding results". Two Indian-flagged LPG carriers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, with 92,712 metric tonnes of LPG crossed the Strait of Hormuz early on Saturday.
In his remarks, Jaiswal reiterated India's call for de-escalation of the situation in West Asia. "We have and we continue 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," he said.