US President Donald Trump had called upon many countries to send their warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. Regarding this, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday (16 March 2026) that India has not held bilateral discussions with the US regarding the deployment of nine military ships to ensure the safe movement of ships through the Hormuz Strait.
Trump appealed to many countries to send warships
After Iran’s strict attitude on the Strait of Hormuz, Trump had appealed to the allied countries to send warships to protect this route. Taking the names of China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain, he expressed hope that these countries would come forward to help. However, no country has yet come forward to respond to Trump’s appeal or send any warships.
MEA statement on Trump’s appeal
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked whether America has approached India to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz and what is the government’s stand on this? In response to this he said, ‘We are aware of the discussions being held by many countries in this matter. Till now we have not discussed this issue at the bilateral level. MEA spokesperson said that India will continue dialogue with multiple stakeholders in this matter.
Indian ships passing due to bilateral relations: MEA
In an interview to the Financial Times, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India has not made any agreement with Iran for the passage of Indian flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz. He said that talks are going on with Iran regarding the passage of ships there and good results are being obtained. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that New Delhi has not done anything in return for the safe passage of Indian ships through Hormuz, but this has happened because of our relations.
In view of the increasing conflict in West Asia, New Delhi is urging Indian citizens stranded in Iran to cross the border to Armenia so that their repatriation can be facilitated. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, ‘Thank you to the government and people of Armenia for facilitating the safe evacuation of more than 550 Indian citizens from Iran so far.’
Also read: When will the trade deal with America be signed? Amidst the war in the Middle East, the Indian government gave this answer
