‘Safety of Indian seafarers critical’: Modi tells Trump during G7 interaction

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 17, 2026 09:14 PM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) interacts with US President Donald Trump (right) on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France. (Photo: Screenshot from clip shared by @RapidResponse47 | Enhanced using AI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday thanked US President Donald Trump for “rekindling hope for bringing peace to West Asia”. Modi made the remark during his interaction with Trump on the sidelines of the G7 meet in France, days after three Indian seafarers lost their lives in a US attack on a vessel off the coast of Oman.

The Prime Minister added that he is happy that the Indian and US teams have been working closely to achieve targets and underlined a “new speed and energy in relations with the US”.

On the Strait of Hormuz, Modi said, “Keeping the Strait of Hormuz open is vital for global economy. Hope peace is permanent in the Gulf.”

#WATCH | Evian, France | PM Modi tells US President Trump, “We have always said that freedom of navigation should be ensured and we should also stress upon that. Lakhs of Indian seafarers are om duty in different seas of the world in the sector of maritime trade. I believe that… pic.twitter.com/zeELdPyozB

— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2026

On the death of the three Indian seafarers, Modi said, “We have always said that freedom of navigation should be ensured and we should also stress upon that. Lakhs of Indian seafarers are on duty in different seas of the world in the sector of maritime trade. I believe that their security is equally important. I am confident that in the deal (with Iran) security of seafarers will be ensured and prioritised,” Modi told Trump during the interaction.

FOR LATEST UPDATES, CLICK HERE: G7 Summit 2026 Live Updates | Trump says India-US ‘very close to trade deal’

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held a brief meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian, France. The interaction marked their first face-to-face meeting since Modi’s visit to the White House in February 2025.