New Delhi:
US President Donald Trump spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the phone Tuesday evening. US Ambassador Sergio Gor said the two “discussed the ongoing situation in the Middle Eastincluding importance of keeping Strait of Hormuz open”.
This is the first phone call between the two since the US-Israel war on Iran began. Sources told NDTV that peace, stability, and energy security were a key part of the Prime Minister’s conversations, as was free movement through the Hormuz.
“Received a call from President Trump and had a useful exchange of views on the situation in West Asia,” the Prime Minister said after the call. “India supports de-escalation and restoration of peace at the earliest. Ensuring Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure, and accessible is essential for the world. We agreed to stay in touch for efforts towards peace and stability.”
Received a call from President Trump and had a useful exchange of views on the situation in West Asia. India supports de-escalation and restoration of peace at the earliest. Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world.…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 24, 2026
Sources further told NDTV that India – as a major buyer of Middle East oil and gas – had a ‘direct’ and ‘high-stakes’ interest in the re-opening of the Hormuz and is set to play a key role in any peace talks between the US, Israel, and Iran.
The Trump-Modi call came a day after the US President claimed “very good and productive conversations (with Tehran) regarding a total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East”. Trump said he had ordered the postponement of any planned American military strikes on Iranian power plants and/or energy infrastructure for five days to allow talks to proceed.
Trump”s post raised hopes of a ceasefirehowever temporary, to fighting that has raged in the Middle East since Feb 28 and had a shock effect on the energy market, including driving benchmark Brent crude prices well past the US$100 red line.
But days before that Trump threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it did not reopen the Hormuz, closure of which has led to fuel prices going up in the US and pressure being exerted on his administration ahead of mid-term polls in November.
NDTV Special | Trump’s Hormuz Deadline. 3 ‘What If’ Scenarios, India’s Energy Shock Brace
Meanwhile, hours before the Trump call, the PM told Parliament the war has triggered a “severe energy crisis”.
He said the war had disrupted supply of essential goods like fuel, gas, and fertilisers, all of which India sources, in vast quantities, from Middle East nations like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, and all of which have been hit by Iran strikes.
India, however, has sufficient stores of crude oil and gas, the PM said. Junior Petroleum Minister Suresh Gopi told the Rajya Sabha the country had an estimated 3.372 million tons of crude in reserve, apart from stocks of refined products.
RECAP | How Much Crude Oil Reserve Does India Have? What Union Minister Said
The PM also said he had spoken to Gulf nations and discussed the need for de-escalation in fighting and re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz. “Attacks on commercial vessels and obstacles to international navigation are unacceptable,” he said.
The early days of the war spotlighted Iran’s asymmetric warfare modeli.e., the use of cheaply-made, mass-produced Shahed ‘kamikaze’ drones in a war of attrition against Israel and Gulf nations using American-supplied air defence systems firing multi-million dollar interceptors. But as the fighting dragged on the focus turned to crude oil and gas supplies.
Specifically, energy supply from the region became a point of concern after the war crippled tankers transiting the Hormuz, a narrow passage over which Iran exerts geographic control and which is a critical chokepoint for global seaborne energy trade.
Between 20 and 25 million barrels of crude oil – around 20 per cent of the world’s supply – passes through it daily.
RECAP | Hormuz Shutdown Affects Asia’s Crude Oil Supply, Pipelines Can’t Cover Loss
As the world’s third largest energy consumer, its most populous country, and its fastest growing major economy, India relies heavily on Hormuz exports to meet crude oil needs, which most estimates suggest is 5.5 to six million barrels of crude daily.
Pre-war, India imported around half that – 2.1 and 2.6 million barrels – from Gulf nations like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait. Shipped via the Hormuz, this worked out to around 40 per cent of crude imports of 4.8 to five million barrels per day.
But since the fighting began only a limited number of oil and gas tankers have made it past Iran’s blockade. Another set of two Indian-flagged vessels – carrying liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG – transited Tuesday, escorted by Indian warships.
RECAP | Warships Escort 2 Indian LPG Tankers In Gulf Of Oman After Hormuz Transit
The two ships are carrying 92,612 tonnes of LPG, said the Ministry of Ports and Shipping said at a news briefing.
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