India, March 16 -- After a top US official named India when asked about plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz currently blockaded by Iran, the Indian government said on Monday that it is "not in any bilateral talks" on being part of any coalition to help reopen the waterway.

"We are aware this matter is being discussed bilaterally by several countries. We have had no such bilateral discussion yet," Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said at a press briefing in New Delhi on Monday, March 16. He was asked pointedly if Indian navy ships could be committed to such an operation.

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The strait, a key oil route through which 20% of the world's supplies pass, has been effecti...