U.S. President Donald Trump called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 to discuss the ongoing Middle East war and the need to keep the Strait of Hormuz (a critical Gulf chokepoint that normally carries a fifth of the world's seaborne crude oil) open to shipping. Modi described the call as a "useful exchange of views" and reiterated that India "supports de-escalation and restoration of peace at the earliest." The exchange comes as maritime traffic through the strait has nearly halted following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, threatening global energy supply chains and placing particular pressure on India, the world's second-largest buyer of liquefied petroleum gas, which relies heavily on Middle East imports.