New York, Sept. 25 -- The India-Middle East-Europe trade corridor backed by Washington and New Delhi is a huge priority for the two countries and will take off in a major way after the situation in the Middle East stabilises, a senior US State Department official has said, noting that some groundwork is also continuing on the project.

Speaking with ANI, the official said the United States and India remain ready to advance the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), but the challenge is the situation in West Asia.

The official pointed to the fallout from the Gaza war and the US-Iran confrontation, as developments that had paused broader progress on the initiative, even as preparatory work continues out of public view.

The off...