Global Energy / Donald Trump Backs India‑Middle East‑Europe Corridor as Energy Lifeline at UN

United Nations, Sep 23: Positioning energy security at the heart of his Middle East policy, President Donald Trump used a high‑level meeting with Gulf leaders at the United Nations to show support for the India‑Middle East‑Europe Economic Corridor, portraying it as a vital new route for trade and oil flows that bypasses Iranian choke points.

“Iran’s terrorist attacks on commercial shipping and neighbouring countries have shown the need to shift Middle East energy infrastructure away from the Iranian checkpoints,” Trump declared.

“That’s why my administration strongly supports the India, Middle East, Europe economic corridor,” he added, noting pipelines and other routes for moving oil out of the Gulf.

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The President emphasized that Washington was working with regional partners to secure maritime flows. He claimed US forces had escorted more than one billion barrels of oil through Gulf waters in recent months.

“We now have more oil flowing through the strait than at any point by far since the conflict began,” he said.

Trump disclosed that his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son‑in‑law Jared Kushner had recently met mediators engaged with Iran.

“I think there’s a lot of momentum for them to make a deal,” he said, expressing confidence in their ability to broker progress. “I have a lot of respect on both sides. They respect him. The Iranians respect them both very much. And I think it’s important, but I think we’re going to get it done.”

At the same time, Trump issued a sharp warning to Tehran. “We’re going to make a deal or it’s going to end very, very quickly,” he said. “It’ll end very so quickly your head will spin.”

He asserted that US military action had crippled Iran’s navy, eliminated its air force, and destroyed much of its weapons infrastructure. He also pointed to intensified financial pressure under “Operation Economic Outcast,” designed to force Tehran’s hand.

The President thanked Gulf leaders for their partnership and investments in the United States, describing them as “some of Washington’s closest friends, allies and partners.”

He praised their role in efforts to end the Gaza war, recalling that many of the same leaders had helped secure a peace agreement, the release of hostages, and international support for a 20‑point Gaza peace plan.

“We continue to stand together,” Trump said. “We are all together very much united.”

The India‑Middle East‑Europe Economic Corridor was first announced at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023, with India, the US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the EU, France, Germany and Italy signing a memorandum of understanding.

The project aims to connect India to the Gulf via maritime links and extend onward to Europe through rail and shipping networks, with goals of reducing transport time, boosting trade, and strengthening energy and economic connectivity across Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

(IANS)