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India has not held any bilateral talks with the US on sending warships to the Strait of Hormuz. The Foreign Ministry gave this information on Monday. This comes amidst the statement of US President Donald Trump, in which he appealed to many countries to keep this important waterway safe and open by sending their warships.

Trump posted on social media that China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and other countries, which are affected by Iran, should send warships to the region to keep the waterways safe, but these countries have not yet made any such promise.

What did Jaishankar say?

When External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked whether America had approached India to send warships and what was India’s stand, he said, ‘We are aware of the discussions between many countries on this issue. We have not yet discussed it at the bilateral level.

Jaiswal said that India will continue talks with many parties on this matter. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also talked about this in an interview given to the Financial Times. Jaishankar said India does not have a ‘complete arrangement’ for Indian ships with Iran, but talks are underway with Tehran on safe passage and are yielding some results.

Two ships had crossed the strait

On Saturday, two Indian ships Shivalik and Nanda Devi crossed the Strait of Hormuz carrying 92,712 metric tonnes of LPG. This happened after a phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masood Pejeshkian and discussions between External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi.

Also read: Will oil really become expensive? Iran closed Hormuz Strait

Experts say that India has not joined the multinational naval force in the Red Sea or Hormuz, but the Indian Navy has deployed warships to protect Indian ships and has coordinated with the navies of other countries.

Jaiswal reiterated that India and Iran have long-standing relations and that India did not offer anything in return for the safe passage of Indian ships. “This is the basis of our partnership, this is not a transaction,” he said.

India issued a statement

India issued statements on 28 February, 3 March and 9 March on the war launched by Israel and the US against Iran. Jaiswal said, ‘We continuously appeal for de-escalation, restraint and to follow the path of dialogue and diplomacy so that this conflict ends soon. We have said that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected.

Jaishankar met the European Union

Jaishankar is in Brussels to meet EU ministers, where the situation in West Asia will be high on the agenda. Jaiswal said that all important issues like security of NRIs, energy security will be discussed there.

Shipping Ministry’s Special Secretary Rajesh Kumar Sinha said that 22 Indian ships are stranded in the Persian Gulf, west of Hormuz. These include 6 LPG carriers, one LNG carrier and 4 crude oil tankers. 611 Indian sailors are safe on board, but it is not known when they will be able to return home.

Also read: ‘India is our friend’, Iran promises Indian interests on Hormuz Strait

This situation has arisen due to Iran-US tensions, where Iran tried to close the strait, which has increased oil prices and worried countries like India about energy security. India is trying to protect its interests through diplomacy.