'Trump's call to Modi was damage control': Brahma Chellaney on US outreach and Pakistan role in Iran war

US President Donald Trump's call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a damage control, geostrategist Brahma Chellaney said on Wednesday, arguing that the outreach by the US President came after Washington routed its Iran strategy through Pakistan.

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"Strip away the diplomatic niceties and the picture is clear: Donald Trump's call to Narendra Modi was not routine consultation, but pure damage control," Chellaney said.

Trump spoke to Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday, in their first conversation since the West Asia conflict began on February 28. The two leaders discussed the Iran war and the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy corridor.

Modi said India supports de-escalation and called for keeping the Strait open. "Received a call from President Trump and had a useful exchange of views on the situation in West Asia," he said, adding, "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. We agreed to stay in touch regarding efforts towards peace and stability."

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Chellaney linked the call to Washington's diplomatic moves involving Pakistan. "By routing through Pakistan his '15-point peace plan' to end the war that he started against Iran, Trump has made that country’s army chief an indispensable intermediary."

He added, "Field Marshal Asim Munir's emergence as Washington's channel to Tehran not only underscores Pakistan’s geopolitical relevance to Washington, but also fits with Trump’s earlier description of Munir as his 'favorite field marshal'."

"For New Delhi, the optics are galling," he said.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, handles roughly 20% of global oil and LNG supplies. Its disruption has already pushed up global energy prices and exposed Indian shipments to risk.

Chellaney said India is bearing the economic fallout of a conflict involving its key partners. "India bears the brunt of the economic fallout from a war launched by its two principal strategic partners, the US and Israel. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively disrupted and Indian shipments exposed to risk, New Delhi is both stakeholder and victim."

He contrasted this with Washington’s diplomatic outreach. "Yet, in a stark inversion of roles, it is not India but Pakistan (which has long used its nuclear-weapons shield to export terrorism) that is Washington’s diplomatic conduit."

"This explains Trump’s phone call. The language of keeping India "in the loop" is just reassurance - a way to soften the blow, not change the reality," he said. "Because the reality is this: When it mattered, Trump chose Pakistan as the conduit, and is now trying to make sure Modi doesn’t take it personally."

He added, "This is just the latest occasion when Trump has sought to undermine his 'very good friend' Modi."