INDIAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump had called him to discuss the Middle East war and the Strait of Hormuz.
Modi said it was a "useful exchange of views", adding that India "supports de-escalation and restoration of peace at the earliest", he wrote on social media.
Maritime traffic through the Gulf chokepoint, which normally carries a fifth of the world’s seaborne crude, has come to a standstill since US-Israeli strikes on Iran last month, triggering a regional conflict that has affected global energy supply chains.
"Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world," Modi said.
US Ambassador Sergio Gor also said on social media that the leaders had discussed the war, "including the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open".
India is the world’s second-largest buyer of liquefied petroleum gas, used for cooking and mainly sourced from the Middle East, and supplies through the Strait of Hormuz have been affected by the conflict.
Modi has urged states to curb black marketing and avoid panic, saying that India’s energy supplies remain stable.
Modi has close ties to Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, but New Delhi has sought to remain neutral in the war.
