With his “very good talks” narrative collapsing and Iran still firing missiles, Donald Trump reached for a new lifeline — India. On March 24, he phoned Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the West Asia war and the urgent need to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, as the conflict entered a critical fourth week. Modi had just warned Parliament that the Iran war posed “unprecedented challenges” for India’s economy, energy security and supply chains, even as he urged de‑escalation and dialogue. Tehran, meanwhile, kept insisting there were no talks at all, calling Trump’s claims “fake news.”