Trump says U.S. will defend India if anyone attacks as Modi raises seafarers safety issue
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- Modi raised the safety of hundreds of thousands of Indian seafarers working across global maritime trade routes, citing the killing of three Indian seafarers in a U.S. strike off the coast of Oman, and said the issue would receive the "highest priority" in implementing their agreement
- Trump pledged the U.S. would defend India if attacked, telling reporters "we would be there to help" and reaching for Modi's hand, though he noted the two countries did not have a formal defence contract
- Trump said Iran would not have a nuclear weapon and that Modi felt "very strongly" about that, while both leaders agreed that keeping the Strait of Hormuz open was vital for the world economy
- Trump dismissed perceptions of a fraying relationship, praising Modi as "the most beautiful looking man" who is "like an angel, but actually he's a killer," and said India has a "great friend" in the White House as long as he is President
- Trump said the U.S. and India were "very close" to finalising a trade deal but called Modi a "very tough" negotiator, noting a deal announced in February remains unsigned over changes to U.S. tariff policies
- Modi posted on social media after the meeting that the two sides had reviewed cooperation in trade, energy, defence, technology, and people-to-people ties
Why it matters: The defence pledge comes against an India-U.S. relationship that the article itself flags as strained — by the recent killing of three Indian sailors in a U.S. strike, unresolved restrictions on skilled migration, and Trump's perceived closeness with Pakistan — making the warm optics a notable contrast with the unresolved frictions. The unsigned trade deal, announced in February and held up over U.S. tariff changes, means Modi's seafarer-safety ask may be the most concrete deliverable to emerge from the meeting.
