India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

[S_Madhukar]

https://x.com/Dig_raw21/status/2065578739598029142?s=20

US did not fire on their own citizens(Sailor) but on Indian sailors in Hormuz .

A Shadow fleet driven by American sailors attempted to evade U.S. sanctions and move illicit oil. By refusing lawful orders from the U.S. Coast Guard and leading them on a chase across the Atlantic Ocean

-------------------
https://x.com/JaidevJamwal/status/20656 ... 88273?s=20

>One Indian diplomat was arrested in USA over visa fraud and other charges.
Indian babooze revoked most privileges given to American embassy, caused massive long term rift in diplomatic relations and made the news run in media for weeks.

>Russians fraudulently entrapped and caused deaths of dozens of Indian citizens in their war.
All lips sealed.

>USA deliberately fired on civilian ships causing death of 3 Indian citizens and injuries to more. What are our babooze doing now?
Calling American ambassador for chai-biskoot and optics. Indian babooze-neta cabal cares only when their own asses are on fire. Lives of regular citizens and national interests don't matter that much.

India’s GREAT diplomacy and good boy image has always been at the cost of its own citizens lives. Biscuit Babu like his ancestor Firang Babu never worries about our collateral damage. See insurgents, terrorists, missionaries, NGOs and now USN sailors… all predators must be fed the vegetarian Indian as part of the food chain.

[S_Madhukar]

^^ May I ask forum members especially those with more experience in Strategic Deployment and Deterrence.
Why US, especially the DS, is very upset with India??
Please consider these :
1.Induction and Operationalisation of SSBN
2. Near independent FP and EAM in every forum reminding the West and the Rest Your War is Yours and I wont interfere.
3. I buy Oil and secure my energy source
4. Op Sindoor Happened and we have hit soimething significant that no party wants to admit openly
5. NaMo's refusal to visit WH
6. Now SPIRI reporting our N assets have increased and most importantly we have deployed warheads (And i dont think the so called 800km range yada yada about SLBM, they are substantive and deliberately kept vague)
7. Our growing closeness to Maruitius and Chagos and Deigo Garcia
8. Jihadi N counting not raising as npern SPIRI for the first time and not mated ( I just wonder if we have done something to them because they are buried and irreretrievable or something else has happened)
Given the above, maybe the DS feels that India is getting big and may turn dangerous, hence they are not leaving any stone unturned to rub our nose in the dirt. And the sametime they are Desperately Seeking Susan in way (trying to find a effective opposition leader to challenge NaMo) but struglling to find one.
No wonder, NE was set alight and Beedis and Nepalis turned so called Rangila Reforms!!
To give credit toi MAD and EAM, they have countered every one these moves with alacrity and not folded.
I just wonder if the meet is going to be a patch up job and a possible revival of QUAD (just as a sop to fool us and wind the Dragon)
Sorry for the long post, but my question is this : Is US and thereby the DS is worried about N independence and deployment of N heads on active duty??
Do they feel that such acts should have been first approved and actively monitored by them. And since that has not happened they are going about to put us in place!!

Which is why they wanted that Vizag base to fix us for good and turn us into a Korea. My worry would be what is the level of their cooperation and understanding with CCP on containing us.

[chetak]

Which is why they wanted that Vizag base to fix us for good and turn us into a Korea. My worry would be what is the level of their cooperation and understanding with CCP on containing us.

S_Madhukar ji,


once they had an agreement for vizag, they would have accessed any and every port in India

They also had their beady eyes on the vizag airport and if they had managed that agreement, they would have never left, but someone up there had a modicum of pity on India and managed to head it off. They had no option but to go to ports in pak.

All this happened around the time when the amrikis were flying their U-2 spy missions over russia. They wanted to operate from vizag

The vital importance of vizag is that it allows for a strangle hold on the malacca straits with multiple rail /road/ sea based supply chains to keep it viable and operational. That would make the cheen very jittery indeed

the amrikis, per reports, now looking at chittagong port in beediland to help them achieve their strategic ambitions without being subjected to earthquakes like in the andaman islands

vizag is a safe and protected natural deep water harbour, available all through the year. The costs of operating from vizag would be many orders less than operating from, say diego garcia for instance

additionally, Visakh Refinery was the first East Coast Oil refinery of India, commissioned in 1957 by Caltex Oil Refining India Ltd

The current crude processing capacity of the HPCL Visakhapatnam (Vizag) Refinery is 15.0 Million Metric Tonnes Per Annum (MMTPA), which equates to approximately 301,000 barrels per day (bpd) It could produce any required fuel and with a bit of tweaking, it could easily produce the required grade(s) of aviation fuels used by the amrikis forces

The Visakhapatnam Port (Vizag Port) is one of India's premier major ports, located on the east coast in Andhra Pradesh. It is most famous for being India's deepest natural harbor and the only major natural harbor on the country's eastern coastline

The port is uniquely special for several key reasons:

Unmatched Natural Depth: It boasts a natural depth of up to 16.5 meters, making it India’s deepest port. This allows it to accommodate super cape-sized vessels and massive mainline container ships.

Dolphin’s Nose Protection: The harbor is perfectly protected from the intense Bay of Bengal cyclones by a massive 174-meter-high promontory called the Dolphin's Nose Hill.

Unique Island Breakwater: It features a highly specialized island breakwater. Historically, this was constructed by scuttling two old ships (the Janus and Wellesdon) to form a skeleton around which a giant rubble mound was built.

Major Trade Hub: It is a crucial maritime gateway for bulk commodities like iron ore, petroleum products, and coal, and is one of the closest established container terminals to the strategic Malacca Straits.

Vast Connectivity: The port operates over 200 kilometers of internal railway networks and is deeply integrated with the Visakha Container Terminal to efficiently handle massive, full-train freight rakes

[Lisa]

Chetakji, Agreed 100% with all comments

[chanakyaa]

…
Given the above, India should deploy IN assets out to escort convoys of India-flagged vessels to ensure their safe and unrestricted passage to India.
…

Rudradev ji, you had couple of posts on this. Sharing my thoughts on certain points, before concluding komments on the above.

First and foremost, about a suggestion that “other countries must act to secure safe passage for their own critical economic inputs through the Strait of Hormuz”. Agree, but if this was a genuine desire, keeping IND aside for a minute, why other countries (esp. Asean nations who depend on GCC energy) have not attempted to form a coalition for the benefit of safe passage? Considering that they are already in the chacha's orbit, are they not better equipped to receive logistical support from chacha if such coalition was desirable? Is it not the case b’cas they either know or have been told privately that chacha is sitting at the mouth of the strait to ensure that the strait remains closed for a very very long time if not forever, so don't bother?

Second, about IND communicating its desire that its IN presence is solely in the interest of safeguarding interest of its ships or seafarers for IND’s energy security. I’m sure it has now dawned on all stakeholders in IND that the chacha is sitting there to very much ensure that exactly opposite happens. Which why tariffs and Vene-zooela happened in that sequence before the energy blockade. IND can now buy energy from chacha at higher prices not just on energy but 3x more time on shipment and transportation cost. And, in the process repatriate back the foreign reserves, drain its coffers, impoverishing its population, and damaging the economy. Oh, by the way those foreign reserves have already been through recent currency debasement and now worth less than before.

Lastly, IND deploying IN to safeguard passage. This will require a bold political support, commitment, and stakeholders in the Strait knows that this is a possibility. If IN puts its assets in open waters, I'm sure it will require thinking about all possibilities and going all-in in a worst possible scenarios. Just like unknown gunmen are taking out trouble makers in na-pak, IN will be exposed to unknown-drones (above and below water), unknown-sea-mines, unknown-cheap-missile etc. Plausible deniability. I’m not an eggspurt on capabilities on IN, but cheap/unknown things can come from anywhere, what if cheap pirates are hired against IN? However, I do agree with yr last post that IND could raise the cost very very high, and be successful to safeguard its interest, but it will require not cutting short like OpSindoor.

[A_Gupta]

We need them to join BRF:

Auto-rickshaw drivers in Delhi are tearing US flags and Donald Trump posters off their vehicles in protest. This backlash follows a US military strike in the Gulf of Oman that killed three Indian sailors. The removed advertisements were originally part of the US Embassy's "Freedom 250" campaign.

[A_Gupta]

I just saw this news - and would not a US response like this be better than hitting the ship with a missile and killing some of its crew?

Armed British forces boarded and detained a sanctioned tanker Sunday that is suspected of being part of the Russian “shadow fleet,” shipping oil in violation of international sanctions over Moscow’s war on Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday. The vessel will be held and monitored off the south coast of England for investigation, according to the Defence Ministry.

——
The truth I think is that Pete Hegseth is trigger-happy (e.g., “give no quarter”), that he has bent the US military to not follow their own longstanding rules of combat (also consider Venezuelan boats) and that the US would need to increase its fleet presence to be able to handle the scale of interdictions needed. It is much easier to simply lob missiles.

Just like the police are not justified in shooting anyone who disobeys their orders except in specific contexts - e.g., you cannot shoot a fleeing pickpocket — the militaries of the world’s democracies are similarly constrained, except that now the US no longer accepts any constraint.

[Manish_Sharma]

India’s GREAT diplomacy and good boy image has always been at the cost of its own citizens lives. Biscuit Babu like his ancestor Firang Babu never worries about our collateral damage. See insurgents, terrorists, missionaries, NGOs and now USN sailors… all predators must be fed the vegetarian Indian as part of the food chain.

Another angle by Atri ji:


https://x.com/Kal_Chiron/status/2066095 ... 68469?s=20

I have a different take on this.

India killed US personnel in Kairana hills and in Noor Khan command centre.

Dhurandhars killed many US operatives in Bangladesh during Yunus fiasco. Dhurandhars killed 10-odd more in Myanmar. Plus it arrested couple.

But US cannot accept the deaths in Kairana as the maal there is all their own and they can't reveal that the operatives killed in BD and Myanmar are covert ops. On the top, we insulted Rubio too.

USA decided to take revenge overtly. Now it is challenging India ki Kya ukaad legaa. Ball is in India’s court.

As I said earlier - Modi has no ego of his own. Hindu-nation’s ego is Modi’s ego. He is sheep and nation is shepherd. If it is in the interest of that they need

https://x.com/Kal_Chiron/status/2066121 ... 60899?s=20

Too much R&D (Rona & Dhona) happening. Every two months something happens and a section of janta cries “Modi sold us out”… I have heard loads of abuses before we won Bengal that Modi doesn’t care of dead Sangh swayamsevaks abd BJP workers.

Modi is nothing himself. But India’s ego is his ego. If he has to meet Trump for India swallowing his pride, so be it. If Dhurandhars have to turn their gaze on US assets in subcontinent and away, so be it. It’s pure calculation.

[Vayutuvan]

Here is a potential response.
...
This may seem cold blooded, and I am as sorry as anyone else for the families of Indian sailors who were killed while working for foreign employers. But that is not the core interest here.

@Rudradev ji, nicely put. It is not cold-blooded at all. This is putting Indian interests first by the GoI. Again, bravo. Well said.

[Jay]

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/13/us/p ... Position=1

From his post in New Delhi, Mr. Gor has become a force in U.S. foreign policy, chasing business deals and stunning diplomats by reversing a long-planned embassy building project.

Days before President Trump left office in 2021, the State Department broke ground on an $850 million construction project at its aging embassy in New Delhi. By last fall, alongside work on smaller buildings, crews had dug a 200-foot-long pit for the project’s centerpiece: a sleek edifice of glass and stone that was supposed to make the biggest U.S. mission in South Asia more “secure and resilient.”

In recent months, without public announcement, the U.S. government canceled that building project and filled in the pit.

The reversal has stunned diplomats who see it as a long-term blow to America’s ability to operate in the world’s most populous country. It has stung some intelligence officials who wanted more modern classified facilities in a volatile region. And it shed light on the influence of the man who spearheaded the reversal and has become a major force in U.S. foreign policy: Mr. Trump’s new ambassador to India, Sergio Gor.

Glad this project has stalled. I have no doubt that US wanted to use this to enhance it's meddling capabilities with India.

Mr. Gor, 39, is a former congressional aide who helped publish Mr. Trump’s books and ran the presidential personnel office last year, acting as a gatekeeper to power. Then Mr. Gor became more active abroad, using his close ties to Mr. Trump to push for economic deals in Central Asia, including in his native Uzbekistan.

Mr. Gor’s pivot to foreign policy began last summer, amid tensions with some people in Mr. Trump’s orbit, including Elon Musk. The president valued Mr. Gor for his perceived loyalty and his willingness to freeze out of government people he considered insufficiently so.

Like with everything with trump, access gets you closer to action.

In both India and Central Asia, Mr. Gor has pleased officials with his ability to secure direct access to U.S. cabinet members. He has satisfied them by emphasizing commerce and staying silent about the rollback of democracy and human rights in much of the region.

This is the NYT's way of saying he's not being forceful about confronting Modi. They cannot let go of this obsession.

Eric Garcetti, the former Democratic mayor Los Angeles and the Biden administration’s envoy to New Delhi, referred to Mr. Gor as the “old-school model” of an ambassador: “a trusted confidant from the court.”

A surprisingly decent take from Garcetti, a democrat.

His early focus became resetting U.S. policy in Central Asia around business, departing from Washington’s past emphasis on democracy and the region’s broader geopolitics.

He has fascinated Indians with his close ties to Mr. Trump. Manash Neog, a Delhi political consultant who said he had found Mr. Gor remarkably open to meeting Indian businesspeople from midsize companies, said the ambassador gave the impression that “he’s one of those top 10, or top 15,” in the president’s inner circle.

Mr. Gor said he was able to get Indian officials and companies direct access to U.S. cabinet members, given that in his previous job, “I led the department that hired everyone.” When pharmaceutical companies were complaining about U.S. regulators, he said, he offered to arrange a video call to discuss the matter.

“With who?” Mr. Gor recalled them asking.

“I’ll get Secretary Kennedy on,” he said he responded, referring to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Mukesh Aghi, the president of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, a group that pushes for closer business and political ties, said Indian officials were “leveraging Sergio to reach out directly to the president.” And he noted another benefit.

At the same time, journalists and intellectuals who had been used to regular gatherings with prior ambassadors said they found their access cut off. Other senior U.S. diplomats attended fewer events and said little when they did, they said. They described the three staff members whom Mr. Gor brought with him from Washington as playing an outsize role in the embassy’s operations.

Congressi media seem to be shut out, at least for now.

[S_Madhukar]

Here is a potential response.
...
This may seem cold blooded, and I am as sorry as anyone else for the families of Indian sailors who were killed while working for foreign employers. But that is not the core interest here.

@Rudradev ji, nicely put. It is not cold-blooded at all. This is putting Indian interests first by the GoI. Again, bravo. Well said.

While I agree with Rudradevjis post (I had not read it properly before), I am not advocating Modi bashing or aggression against USN at all.
But we very quickly need to learn lessons and not take it as one off and update our doctrine. In a world without institutions this will become precedent.
What if 5-10 years down the line LIZARDS decide to pull a stunt like this in our neighbourhood. They have huge numbers to push into our area or even try to preempt some action we may be taking.
What if USN gets their base in BoB and cutoff NE from us in the future. I am sure after Hormuz they will shift eastwards but which sea is anybody’s guess.
Ofc have zero empathy for Khan as they have plenty of blood on their hands from their Baki b**** and Headley hydras. But I hope we make this institutional history somewhere as this is a reminder of Enterprise in 71

[g.sarkar]

Unfortunately, Iran is not a friend. It is pro-India during US led sanctions, and it shows its true colors when sanctions are lifted. Due to this, India can not support Iran. India can of course make noises and protest the US actions against Indian sailors. On the whole, Modiji is doing the write thing, he is taking steps that will make us stronger in the long run. I remember Deng Xiaoping saying similar things. India's opportunity will come as the US declines. At least that is my hope, Insha'Allah.
Gautam

[Lisa]

There is surprisingly no comment or suggestion from anyone for the owners of these ships being told to stand down or cease their attempts to engage the USN.

Finally,

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/bus ... 724868.cms

India restricts deployment of seafarers to conflict zones, Shipping authority issues fresh advisory

[chetak]

Unfortunately, Iran is not a friend. It is pro-India during US led sanctions, and it shows its true colors when sanctions are lifted. Due to this, India can not support Iran. India can of course make noises and protest the US actions against Indian sailors. On the whole, Modiji is doing the write thing, he is taking steps that will make us stronger in the long run. I remember Deng Xiaoping saying similar things. India's opportunity will come as the US declines. At least that is my hope, Insha'Allah.
Gautam

Gautam saar,

Tathastu!!

[bala]

One of the things India has to realize wrt Iran is that both Russia and China are aligned towards Iran. This has a whole host of geo-political angles which is very thorny for India to handle. Another dynamic is that India and US have a separate independent relationship which recently has been rocky with DJT. There is also another development in RIC relationship which Lt. Gen P R Shankar is bringing into play (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ujr_aO7cFE ). This brings up interesting things whether India has to get into the current fisticuff between US and Iran and whatever agreement they may come to quickly in the immediate. The US is also using munna Paki as a go between which is not conducive for India. IMO India has to stay clear of shipping issues in the hormuz since it is a short term phenonmena which does not bring about any positives for India.

[chetak]

One of the things India has to realize wrt Iran is that both Russia and China are aligned towards Iran. This has a whole host of geo-political angles which is very thorny for India to handle. Another dynamic is that India and US have a separate independent relationship which recently has been rocky with DJT. There is also another development in RIC relationship which Lt. Gen P R Shankar is bringing into play (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ujr_aO7cFE ). This brings up interesting things whether India has to get into the current fisticuff between US and Iran and whatever agreement they may come to quickly in the immediate. The US is also using munna Paki as a go between which is not conducive for India. IMO India has to stay clear of shipping issues in the hormuz since it is a short term phenonmena which does not bring about any positives for India.

bala saar,

Not to over think it, but the fact of the matter is that the amrikis are sending a very clear message to India in general and Modi ji in particular

The chances of the amrikis airstrikes randomly crippling four shipping vessels, with a majority of all the four ship's crews being of Indian origin is infinitesimal..........

Ergo, the ships were specifically identified and chosen prior to the attacks

non amrili sourced oil purchases, the trade deal and now the "in your face" refusal of permission for starlink operations in India are some of the things that are deeply bothering them. The amrikis are already our largest gas suppliers and India is paying a premium price for this privilege, which is what they want

India has not kowtowed to these blackmailers

Jaishankar's recent blunt remarks in finland seem to have undertones of some elements of India's frustrations in dealing with the amrikis and the eurotrash.

some reports seem to suggest that there may be a loosely coordinated effort by the eurotrash and the amrikis in their attempts to stymie India's growth and also get Modi ji to toe their line

One gets the strong feeling that, among other issues, mumtaz bano's electoral massacre, followed by India's rapid force buildup on the beedi border, specifically in the chicken's neck region, somehow ties into these offensive violations by the amrikis.

One sees these attacks as warning shots across the bows

on matters related to BRICS, ukr, russia (oil + weapons) and the spate of FTAs that Modi ji has signed, along with many other FTAs still in the pipeline and all the prospective FTA partners showing great eagerness to conclude the deals, this scenario is causing much khujli to the amrikis


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKegESwa7QY


EAM Jaishankar at Finland's Kultaranta Talks: "Indians Have Never Endangered Europe"

[chetak]

Done with the humiliation, got the spitting, didn't Rubika wrap it up nicely?

Rahul Gandhi was spreading lies about the current government!

Rubika Liyaquat exposed the dark deeds of the Manmohan government!

Hearing what all happened before 2014, the bootlickers will now be seen running away.


watch video

https://x.com/banwariMaheshw1/status/20 ... 42/video/1

[g.sarkar]

"The chances of the amrikis airstrikes randomly crippling four shipping vessels, with a majority of all the four ship's crews being of Indian origin is infinitesimal..........
Ergo, the ships were specifically identified and chosen prior to the attacks".
Chetakji,
I do not want to quibble, but due to India's large population and the attractive pay scale offered, Indian sailors are very common. Many ships will have Indian crew. In case of Khan attacking any ship, the statistical chance of hitting some Indian sailors is high, so it may not be purely intentional.
Gautam

[Amber G.]

Sitting next to US President Donald Trump, PM Modi says, "seafarers should be able to perform their duties without fear or threat to their lives",,
Then while Trump is looking, PM Modi quotes Ronald Reagan.

"Trust but Verify. This is still relevant today."

[Manish_Sharma]

https://x.com/md_deepesh/status/2066849 ... 76943?s=20

I told you this three weeks ago.
Nobody believed it.
Now read what happened.

May 23, 2026.
Marco Rubio skipped New Delhi.
Flew straight to Kolkata.
Walked into the Missionaries of Charity headquarters.

I said it was a message.
Not a prayer.
The message was for India.

Do not touch our assets.

Washington heard India's FCRA Amendment Bill.

The bill that said: if a foreign-funded NGO loses its licence, India takes the assets.

Schools.
Hospitals.
Hostels.
Children's homes.
Permanently.

That bill shook something loose.

The fight is on.

It will get murkier.
It will get uglier.

Strap your belt.

This is not a policy dispute.
This is a civilizational fight.

And India is ready.

https://x.com/HariNotorious1/status/206 ... 87756?s=20

No surprise that foreign powers are nervous about India’s proposed FCRA Bill. The law ensures that if an NGO breaks the rules, its institutional assets stay under Indian authority. India’s sovereignty is not up for negotiation. Strongly stand with the government

[Amber G.]

PM Modi lends his hand to US President Donald Trump at G7 summit.. ( <video> Trump had difficulty climbing small step)




He helped again - when Trump was going back ,,

[williams]

No surprise that foreign powers are nervous about India’s proposed FCRA Bill. The law ensures that if an NGO breaks the rules, its institutional assets stay under Indian authority. India’s sovereignty is not up for negotiation. Strongly stand with the government

[/quote]

This bill needs to be passed ASAP. There is a lot of questionable funding (including terrorist funding) comes through the conduit of FCRA. If the funding is used for genuine social programs then what is the problem in following the law and fulfilling the social obligation? We should not care what Uncle or Aunty thinks about it. Anyways they don't give us good grades when it comes to religious freedom, democracy etc etc.

BJP has the numbers to pass it and they should go for it.

[g.sarkar]

https://www.business-standard.com/world ... 770_1.html
Can Modi-Trump meet on at G7 summit help reset strained India-US relations?
NYT, Jun 16 2026
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India is expected to meet President Trump at the Group of 7 summit on Wednesday, just a week after US attacks on commercial ships left three Indian sailors dead, further straining ties between the countries.
Mr. Modi may be seeking to stabilize ties, but his task is tough: Any grievances he lodges will be from a country weakened by the Iran war to one that started the conflict and has appeared indifferent to its fallout on India. Already struggling to replace oil supplies after Mr. Trump slapped a punitive tariff on India in August for buying Russian oil, India suffered even more restrictions to its supply of crude from the Gulf region, bringing the oil-importing country to the edge of a fuel crisis. A trade deal has remained elusive.
Hopes of recalibrating ties were struck a blow with the deaths of the sailors in the Gulf of Oman.
The anticipated meeting on Wednesday, reported widely in the Indian media, will be the first face-to-face interaction between the leaders since February 2025, when Mr. Modi traveled to Washington, to congratulate Mr. Trump at the start of his second term. Then, there was a mutual display of bonhomie.
In the 16 months since, India has found its proximate ties to the United States upended by an unpredictable and sometimes bellicose Mr. Trump, and his administration’s determination to open India’s markets and enforce immigration policies that disproportionately affect Indian students and workers in the United States. The fusillade of actions detrimental to India’s interests have hurt its economy, wounded its pride and cast doubt on the value of the personal chemistry between the leaders.
“There is reasonable worry that the convergence between Delhi and Washington of the past 25 years has been through a period of drift and may potentially move toward divergence,” said Atul Keshap, president of the US-India Business Council and a former chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in India. Both governments should focus on working to strengthen common interests, such as the digital economy and nuclear energy, rather than delay a final trade deal because of endless negotiations, he added.
India has been stubborn in negotiating a new trade deal with the United States after Mr. Trump slapped a bevy of tariffs on countries last year, frustrating US officials with long drawn-out discussions. But recent agreements such as a critical minerals deal signed during Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent visit to India, show some efforts to rebuild ties.
Mr. Trump’s insistence that he mediated a cease-fire between India and Pakistan after the two enemies fought a four-day conflict in May 2025, and Mr. Modi’s repeated refusal to acknowledge it — or nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize — has also created friction.
Analysts also said it might behoove India to swallow its pride and be more flexible, mainly because it doesn’t yet have the kind of leverage that China or the United States have to reshape the global economy.
“The relationship with the United States is the most important relationship India has,” said Aparna Pande, a South Asia expert and senior fellow at Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank.
Last week, US forces struck three commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman with missiles, killing three Indian seafarers while dozens more were rescued. The United States said the tankers had violated its naval blockade of Iran.
The attacks set off a firestorm in India, where people criticized US forces for endangering the lives of the other Indian seafarers aboard the tankers. The Indian government said it lodged “a strong protest” with a top diplomat at the US Embassy in Delhi, but opposition parties have accused it of not doing enough.
......
Gautam
Also:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/16/worl ... ng-g7.html

[A_Gupta]

https://www.firstpost.com/world/the-ret ... 23460.html

In 2018, when the United States renamed its military’s Pacific Command as the Indo-Pacific Command, Washington said the move reflected “a resolve and a lasting commitment to our allies and partners” in the Indian Ocean region.

“It (the renaming) means that we understand the importance of our alliances and our partnerships, not only in the Pacific, but also in the Indian Ocean. This demonstrates how strategically important this region is,” the Pentagon had said at the time, according to PTI.


Eight years later, citing the command’s “historical identity and institutional legacy”, the US administration has reversed that decision and renamed the Indo-Pacific Command back to the Pacific Command.

[g.sarkar]

If I remember correctly, the Indo in Indo-Pacific Command referred to the Indian Ocean and not India.
But it is time to be afraid, very afraid...
https://www.rediff.com/news/report/if-i ... 260618.htm
If India is attacked and Modi is PM, US will help: Trump
Utkarsh Mishra, June 18, 2026
......
Gautam

[Manish_Sharma]

https://www.business-standard.com/world ... 770_1.html
Can Modi-Trump meet on at G7 summit help reset strained India-US relations?
NYT, Jun 16 2026
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India is expected to meet President Trump at the Group of 7 summit on Wednesday, just a week after US attacks on commercial ships left three Indian sailors dead, further straining ties between the countries.
Mr. Modi may be seeking to stabilize ties, but his task is tough: Any grievances he lodges will be from a country weakened by the Iran war to one that started the conflict and has appeared indifferent to its fallout on India

Gautam
Also:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/16/worl ... ng-g7.html

https://x.com/clashreport/status/206724 ... 02327?s=20

With Modi sitting next to him trump says "we have G2 coming up, you know what G2 is right?" He also says "we are doing great then ever we have $19.2 trillion coming up, we are building factories and ummm PM Modi is building a lot in united states he is building a lot in united states..."

[Manish_Sharma]

If I remember correctly, the Indo in Indo-Pacific Command referred to the Indian Ocean and not India.
But it is time to be afraid, very afraid...
https://www.rediff.com/news/report/if-i ... 260618.htm
If India is attacked and Modi is PM, US will help: Trump
Utkarsh Mishra, June 18, 2026
......
Gautam

Lot of strategy oriented accounts are actually saying same thing that usa is out to instigate war between India and china.

https://x.com/KanwalSibal/status/206731 ... 55253?s=20

Kanwal Sibal (responding to porki hina rabbani khar: A highly geopolitically uneducated comment.

The Indo- Pacific concept linked the security of the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean.

Chinese maritime expansionism in the western Pacific and Japan’s concerns underlay this concept.

The Quad provided the structure.

Trump in his first term renamed the US Pacific Command as the US Indo- Pacific command to convey a strategic message.

Now he has reverted to the original name of the Command, delinking conceptually the security of the Pacific Ocean from the Indian Ocean.

It is natural to analyse the strategic thought behind this change.

China has opposed both the Indo- Pacific concept and the Quad.

China will seek to understand the geopolitical implication of this change as much as Japan and Australia.

Those out of depth on such matters should cease meaningless pontifications.

This is not an issue of fashion accessories.

[Manish_Sharma]

https://x.com/FltLtAnoopVerma/status/20 ... 44990?s=20

Thank you Prime Minister Modi for saying right on the face of President Trump about the safety of Indian Seafarers

[williams]

If I remember correctly, the Indo in Indo-Pacific Command referred to the Indian Ocean and not India.
But it is time to be afraid, very afraid...
https://www.rediff.com/news/report/if-i ... 260618.htm
If India is attacked and Modi is PM, US will help: Trump
Utkarsh Mishra, June 18, 2026
......
Gautam

IMO Indo-US relationship is always high in optics and negligible in substance. Our press and diaspora likes the optics and crib about it when it does not translate into substance. However, realpolitik dictates that we need to keep the American's as far away as possible in our strategic calculus. We can do only do transactional stuff but we need to carefully avoid any direct dependence. We also need to build domestic and international capacities along with the institutional courage to give it to them back when the need arises. Modi sarkar is doing reasonably well in that front, but we need to increase the velocity in capacity building.