THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
While Donald Trump is rattling sabres and demanding allies send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, India has been quietly doing something far more effective — picking up the phone.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical chokepoints. Around 20 percent of the world’s oil supply passes through this narrow corridor between Iran and Oman every single day.
Since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February, Iran has effectively closed this artery to Western-linked shipping.
According to Washington Institute at least 16 vessels have been struck by drones or other weapons in or near the waterway since hostilities escalated.
For most of the world, this has been a crisis without a solution.
The Phone Calls That Moved Tankers
India’s Foreign Minister, S. Jaishankar, did not convene a military council or join a naval coalition. One Indian tanker was hit. India immediately deployed warships. Jaishankar called Tehran. The two ministers spoke about the evolving situation in West Asia, with maritime safety forming a major part of their discussion — their third conversation since the conflict intensified.
The results were tangible almost immediately. Iran allowed Indian oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after diplomatic talks between Jaishankar and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.
Indian tankers Pushpak and Parimal passed safely through the strait, while ships from the US, Europe, and Israel faced severe restrictions in the same waters.
Jaishankar was refreshingly direct about what had happened. “I am at the moment engaged in talking to them, and my talking has yielded some results,” he told the Financial Times, adding that from India’s perspective, “it is better that we reason and we coordinate and we get a solution than we don’t.”
Why India Can Do This — And Trump Cannot
India’s limited success is not just about clever diplomacy. It is rooted in years of carefully maintained independence from the Western alliance structures that made these ships targets in the first place.
Iran has stated that the passage is closed to vessels from the United States, Israel, Europe, and their Western allies. India, which has refused to join US-led military campaigns in the region and maintained its own independent relationship with Tehran, simply does not sit in that category. India’s repatriation of Iranian warship crew members who sought sanctuary after being caught in the open ocean when the conflict erupted was described as a goodwill gesture, with analysts noting that “Iran allowing Indian ships to get through the Strait of Hormuz is a vindication of India’s policy of neutrality.”
For years, Western commentators criticised India for sitting on the fence. That fence is now looking like very valuable.
Trump’s Approach: Big Talk, Limited Results
The contrast with Donald Trump could hardly be sharper. Trump urged allied nations to deploy warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, calling on countries including China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom to send naval forces to safeguard shipping traffic.
It was a classic Trump move — loud, dramatic, and framed as a demand rather than a request.
The problem is that military posturing is precisely what Iran is reacting against. Sending gunboats to the strait does not open it — it escalates the standoff.
While Trump was issuing ultimatums on Truth Social, Jaishankar was in Brussels meeting European foreign ministers and quietly suggesting they might want to try talking to Tehran. When asked whether European governments could replicate India’s approach, Jaishankar said each country’s relationship with Tehran was different, but indicated India would be willing to share insights from its diplomatic engagement if requested.
The irony is rich. The United States started this war. It is now having to ask other countries — including India — to help clean up the consequences for global shipping.
Still Fragile, But Significant
It would be wrong to overstate what India has achieved. Jaishankar has clarified that no formal blanket arrangement for all Indian-flagged ships has been established, and that vessel movements are being managed on a case-by-case basis.
Some 22 Indian-flagged vessels remain stranded west of the strait, carrying hundreds of Indian crew members.
The negotiations are delicate, ongoing, and imperfect.
But the direction of travel is clear. Dialogue is producing results. Military threats are not. Even the US Treasury Secretary acknowledged Washington is “fine” with some Indian and Chinese ships getting through the strait — a admission that the countries not party to this conflict are the ones finding ways through it.
The Bigger Lesson
What India has demonstrated in the past two weeks is something the world keeps forgetting and keeps having to relearn: that diplomacy, even with adversaries, is not weakness. It is often the most powerful tool available. Modi and Jaishankar have spent years cultivating relationships across every geopolitical camp — with Washington, Moscow, Tehran, and Beijing simultaneously.
Critics called it opportunism. It turns out it was preparation.
While Trump blustered and the West scrambled, India talked — and its tankers sailed.
References
1.https://thefederal.com/category/news/how-ondian-captained-oil-tanker-went-dark-and-crossed-strait-of-hormuz-safely-233922
2.https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/houthi-maritime-threats-and-gaza-truce-why-disrupting-supply-chains-indispensable
3.https://www.indiaweekly.biz/india-seeks-safe-passage-tankers-strait-of-hormuz/
4. https://www.growjustindia.com/national/diplomatic-breakthrough-india-secures-safe-passage-for-oil-tankers-through-strait-of-hormuz-30507
5.https://sundayguardianlive.com/strait-of-hormuz-latest-update-india-iran-talks-paying-off-jaishankar-says-diplomacy-with-tehran-helped-indian-tankers-cross-key-oil-route-amid-us-iran-conflict-176760/
6.https://www.newkerala.com/news/a/iran-asks-india-release-seized-tankers-exchange-passage-802.htm
7.https://youtu.be/ZJc_JqhEtNw?si=6WwaBf52rzYfK1Ff
