India pushes diplomacy to reopen Hormuz Strait as Trump urges naval escort

Direct talks with Iran have proven the most effective way to restart shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Indian official said, even as calls grow for a multinational naval effort to secure the critical waterway amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

The comments came after Donald Trump urged countries including China, Japan, France and the UK to send warships to help the US reopen the strategically vital sea lane, through which a significant share of the world’s oil supply passes.

Trump’s appeal for other nations to deploy naval forces comes as governments grappling with soaring energy prices weigh whether to risk deeper military involvement in the conflict or pursue diplomatic channels with Tehran, the Financial Times reported.

India’s external affairs minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, said negotiations between New Delhi and Tehran recently allowed two Indian-flagged gas tankers to safely transit the strait — a sign that diplomacy can still deliver results.

“I am at the moment engaged in talking to them and my talking has yielded some results,” he said. “From India’s perspective, it is better that we reason and we co-ordinate and we get a solution than we don’t... So if that allows other people to engage, I think the world is better off for it.”

EU minister to meet over Hormuz

Foreign ministers from the European Union are set to meet in Brussels to discuss ways to restore safe passage through the shipping lane, with Jaishankar expected to join the discussions.

Several European naval forces are already operating in the broader Gulf region.

Ships from France, Italy and Greece have been providing protection for commercial vessels against attacks by the Houthi movement, and officials say that mission could potentially be expanded.

A French diplomat said Paris was coordinating with partners on a joint naval effort aimed at securing the strait.

'We are ready to defend ourselves': Araghchi

Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed Trump’s claim that Tehran was seeking a ceasefire.

“We are ready to defend ourselves [for] as long as it takes,” he told CBS News.

Asked whether France and Italy had opened communications with Tehran to guarantee safe passage for their ships, Araghchi said Iran remained willing to talk with countries seeking assurances for their vessels.

Iran was “open” to countries that wanted to discuss “safe passage of their vessels,” he said, adding: “This is up to our military to decide.”