Washington: US President Donald Trump on Friday said he had a “very good conversation” with his “friend” Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He was referring to the talks the two leaders had on Tuesday.
“I had a very good talk with him, and he’s a friend of mine from India, and he’s doing great. We had a very good conversation,” Trump told reporters here as he headed to Las Vegas to address a roundtable on tax cuts.
Both leaders reviewed the situation in West Asia and discussed key strategic concerns, including maritime security.
“Received a call from my friend, President Donald Trump. We reviewed the substantial progress achieved in our bilateral cooperation in various sectors. We are committed to further strengthening our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership in all areas,” PM Modi had said in a post on X.
He also noted that the leaders discussed regional security challenges, including the need to ensure stability in critical sea routes.
“We also discussed the situation in West Asia and stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure,” the Prime Minister added.
Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, a truce that could boost attempts to extend the ceasefire between Iran, the United States, and Israel after weeks of devastating war.
Israel has not been fighting with Lebanon itself, but rather with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group inside Lebanon. Hezbollah said in a statement that “any ceasefire must be comprehensive across all Lebanese territory and must not allow the Israeli enemy any freedom of movement.”
The ceasefire would begin at 5 pm ET Thursday. Nearly 2,200 people in Lebanon have been killed by Israeli air strikes.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s army chief met with Iranian officials in Tehran on Thursday in a bid to ease tensions in the Middle East and arrange a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran after almost seven weeks of war.
