Will Indian Navy join US effort to reopen Strait of Hormuz? Here’s what govt said

After US President Donald Trump urged naval forces of several countries to join the United States and deploy warships to secure the Hormuz Strait, and a top White House official named India, the government on Monday clarified that it has not had any such bilateral talks with Washington on the matter.

Addressing a press briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India is aware that the matter is being discussed by several countries, adding that New Delhi is not part of any such discussion.

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“We are aware that this matter is being discussed bilaterally by several countries. We have had no such bilateral discussion yet,” Jaiswal said in a response to a question about whether India would send naval ships to join the United States.

Amid Iran’s chokehold on the maritime traffic, US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that multiple countries could join the United States in deploying warships to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route.

In a statement posted on social media, Trump said nations affected by potential disruptions in the waterway should help secure it alongside US forces.

“Many countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending warships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” he wrote.

During a press briefing on Sunday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed that Trump was reaching out to certain countries for help. He named some of the countries — China, Japan, the UK, France, and South Korea. He told me some countries have committed to aiding the United States,” Wright told reporters.

However, when asked if he could name more countries that the Washington may reach out to, the US energy secretary said that several Asian countries, including India, Thailand, and China, are also dependent heavily on the flows through Hormuz, adding that the world would be united in opening the shipping route.

“The world depends on the flows through Hormuz, and most importantly, for the Asian nations — Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, India — a meaningful part of their total energy supply comes from the Strait of Hormuz. So the whole world would be united in opening the Strait of Hormuz, and we will have the support of other nations to achieve that objective,” he added.