On March 3, 2026, in the early hours, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a direct call to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Abdullah II of Jordan and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain. The over-an-hour-long back-to-back calls were aimed at getting the Deep Middle East crisis between the US and Israel under control after the US and Israel attacked the nuclear installations of Iran and the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. With the Strait of Hormuz being closed, which has put energy pipelines of India at risk, the discussions by Modi focused on making an appeal to ceasefire, safe passage of stranded Indians and a multilateral dialogue as a solution to avoid oil shocks.
Top Priority Hormuz Blockade: Saudi Crown Prince.
The 35 minutes of his interview with MBS, his nearest Gulf partner, saw Modi concentrate on the Hormuz chokepoint, which knew no fewer than 40 percent of the Indian crude imports. Saudi Arabia which produces 12 million bdp assured increased supplies through Red Sea pipelines to compensate Iranian upheavals. On X, Modi wrote, “India-Saudi strategic partnership is rock solid, the Indian workers of the 2.8 million at Prince Sultan airbase are thankful to MBS who gave their safety a top priority in the face of airbase tensions.
MBS again expressed the position of the city of Riyadh, no land to be used against Iran, but the promise of Aramco tankers to provide emergency crude. The talks went as far as touching on investments of up to 100 billion Vision 2030 such as the Gujarat refinery stake by Reliance. Modi threatened to block the 18 million Indians 120 billion dollars remittances, and got 50,000 airlift guarantees at Riyadh. The hacking of ONGC by Saudi hackers was pegged down as rogue elements.
King Abdullah of Jordan: Push button Humanitarian.
King Abdullah, who is the custodian Mecca-Medina, in a 45-minute emotional conversation promised to provide the Indian pilgrims with air protection in Jordan. Amman also provided reroutes of Mumbai exports by boat to Aqaba since 20,000 Hajj hopes were trapped there. Modi expressed praise to the role of UNSC by Jordan where he urged the veto of the Iran sanctions.
Abdullah provided information about drones flown by the Iranians over Petra, which was associated with Houthi threats in Yemen. India committed 50 million dollars in aid to 1 million Syrian refugees in Jordan in exchange to reach Chabahar. The invite strengthened 1974 Gandhi-Abdullah relationships, as Modi invited the king to the Republic Day 2027.
Assurance by Bahrain King on Gulf Stability.
The 30-minute conversation with King Hamad emphasized on the Bahrain host of the US Fifth Fleet, which is currently on high alert following the UAE blasts. Modi was seeking refuge to 300,000 Indians within the 1.4 million strong expatriate centre. Bahrain guaranteed no fly zone extensions in the Gulf waters alleviating the Mumbai-Doha flights.
Discussions involved Islamic Banking agreements- 10 billion mutual funds- and mediation proposal by Bahrain between Delhi and Tehran. Modi fluted Khalistan chia in Manama; King Hamad vowed crackdowns. The pair examined trials of RUPIYA digital currencies, with the view of BRICS expansion.
Half Crisis Strategic Situ.
These appeals are after March 1 CCS meeting with Modi and Netanyahu talk, balancing Quad-Israel relationships with Gulf economics. Iran retaliation Palm Jumeirah fire, evacuation of Burj Khalifa-stranded 9 million Indians; rupee hit 85.2/USD, Sensex dropped 1,200 points.
Modi reiterated no military solution and this was a repeat of Jaishankar recent visit to the Gulf. The trio of Saudi-Jordan-Bahrain dominion of 25 per cent world oil; the nod opens ONGC hedges. Navy had taken INS Vikrant off Oman; IAF C-17s had flown in 5,000 people off Amman.
Economic Interests and Results.
Blockage of Hormuz helps to threaten 4.5 lakh crore non-oil exports, pharma, gems, rice. Modi secured:
- Saudi: 5 lakh bd upward crude at $5 cutoff.
- Jordan: Aqaba transshipment of 20 billion trade.
- Bahrain: NRI repatriation flights, GCC.
FIEO applauds 15-day Cape reroutes; RBI lent 2 lakh crore. Modi-Netanyahu “concerned” balanced Chabahar INSTC.
The World Echo and the Indian Standing.
UNSC sits March 4; Modi is driving G20 Delhi Declaration revival. Russia-China support Iran; US-UK advocate attacks. The domestic flares come against the efforts of Modi to reach out to the Muslims, through his Eid prayers at the Delhi Mosque.
| Leader | Key Assurance | India Impact |
| MBS | Extra crude | Oil security |
| Abdullah | Pilgrim safety | Hajj relief |
| Hamad | NRI flights | Remittances |
As Trump sends the last Iran warning, the shuttle diplomacy of Modi makes India the peacemaker. Reciprocity by Gulf kings highlights: Energy demands are supreme to ideology. As Hormuz tankers line up, the calls made by Modi purchase time to damaged markets.
