Hillary Clinton: India, China could help Trump resolve Iran crisis through diplomacy: Hillary Clinton

The former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (AP Photo)

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said India and China could play a key role in helping resolve the escalating Iran crisis, urging President Donald Trump to pursue “diplomacy instead of bluster”.In an interview with C-SPAN, Clinton said China and India could exert influence on Tehran because of their economic and energy ties with Iran.“If you want to figure out how Trump could get out of this, I think the key to it is probably China and India, because if you look at who buys the most oil and gas from Iran, it’s China and India,” Clinton said.

India, China could pressure Tehran

Clinton said China, in particular, could use its position as one of Iran’s biggest oil and gas buyers to pressure Tehran over the ongoing crisis.“China is far ahead of that; they have been banking a lot of fossil fuels they got in tankers … they have been building more reserves … but they are going to need Iran,” she said.Clinton argued that economic leverage from countries such as China and India could offer Washington a diplomatic route to de-escalate the conflict.“It does seem to me that’s where the best pressure would come from if Trump were willing to actually use diplomacy instead of bluster,” she said.

Strait of Hormuz remains key flashpoint

The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the crisis, with disruptions to shipping threatening a major global energy route. Nearly a fifth of the world’s energy supplies passed through the Gulf chokepoint in normal times.Clinton said she would use the threat of secondary sanctions against China to push Beijing to persuade Iran to reopen the strategic waterway and restore the previous situation.“I would certainly tell the Chinese I was unless they were going to help us to try to get the Iranians to open the Strait of Hormuz and try to go back at least to the status quo ante,” she said.

US steps up sanctions pressure on Iran

Clinton’s remarks came as the Trump administration intensified economic pressure on Tehran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a fresh round of sanctions targeting Iran and warned countries doing business with the Islamic Republic to sever their financial ties or face US retaliation.Tehran has threatened to respond militarily to Washington’s expanded sanctions, while Iran has also signalled willingness to resume talks.China, Turkiye and the UAE are among Iran’s largest trading partners. Pakistan, Oman and Qatar have also been involved in efforts to mediate between Washington and Tehran.Clinton, however, specifically identified India and China as countries that could help put pressure on Tehran because of their energy ties with Iran.

Trump threatens ‘crushing economic operation’

The latest escalation follows Trump’s August 20 warning that he would launch what he called the “most crushing economic operation” against Iran if Tehran failed to reach a deal.Clinton also criticised what she described as strategic miscalculations surrounding the conflict, saying the decisions that led to the current crisis had failed to deliver the political outcome Washington sought.She said greater involvement by countries with strong economic ties to Iran could provide an alternative to further military escalation.