New Delhi — Two days after President Donald Trump urged creation of a “coalition of navies” to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, international response has been muted and India says it has not held bilateral talks with the US on the proposal.
At a Monday press conference, Mr. Trump renewed his appeal for other countries to help secure the strait, noting the US gets under 1% of its oil through the passage while, he said, Japan and China receive much larger shares — figures he cited as about 95% for Japan and 90% for China. He said he wanted those countries to “come and help us with the strait,” added he wanted clarity on China’s stance ahead of a planned meeting with President Xi Jinping in Paris, and warned NATO could face serious consequences if allies did not assist.
Japan has declined the offer, and Australia said it was not approached. Those three countries, together with India and the US, make up the Quad grouping.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “We (India-US) have not yet discussed it in a bilateral setting. We are aware of the matter being discussed by several countries.” Indian sources confirmed three frontline Indian Navy warships are stationed in the Gulf of Oman just outside the Strait of Hormuz escorting LPG shipments. Those vessels are supported by onboard radar, indigenous satellite links, maritime surveillance aircraft and drones. India also maintains two ships south of the Saudi Arabian peninsula — one in the Gulf of Aden on anti-piracy duty since 2008 and another in the Gulf of Oman since 2019.
