'Had A Very Good Conversation With Friend Modi': US President Trump

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Friday said he had a "very good conversation" with his "friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi, referring to the talks the two leaders had on Tuesday.

Expressing optimism about the 10-day ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon, Trump said to reporters in Washington, "I had a very good talk with him, and he's a friend of mine from India, and he's doing great. We had a very good conversation."

Trump had called Modi on Tuesday to discuss the bilateral relationship and share perspectives on the situation in West Asia, where the US and Israel have launched a war on Iran.

During interaction with White House reporters, Trump said he could travel to Pakistan if a deal tied to ongoing diplomacy is finalised. "I would go to Pakistan, yeah… Islamabad, I’ll be, I might go," he said. "If the deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go… they want me."

He described ties with Pakistan are in favourable terms. "Pakistan has been great, they’ve been so great,” he said.

Trump's remarks came at a time when the United States is advancing multiple diplomatic tracks across West Asia, including negotiations with Iran and efforts to halt hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border.

He said a ceasefire arrangement involving Israel and Lebanon was taking shape and could include Hezbollah. "They’re all agreeing… it’s a very nice little package for about a week," he said.

Notably, the hostilities between US, Israel and Iran has sent gas prices soaring as Tehran blocked the waterways in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow gateway for a fifth of global oil supplies.

During the Trump-Modi phone call on Tuesday, the two leaders stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure. According to the US Ambassador to India Sergei Gor, the 40-minute conversation ended with Trump telling Modi, "we all love you". Tuesday's phone call was the second between the two leaders since the US-Israel war with Iran began on February 28.

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