Trump backs India-Middle East-Europe corridor amid Iran war

US President Donald Trump has voiced strong support for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), saying it would help shift the energy infrastructure away from Iranian checkpoints. The US leader made the remarks while addressing a multilateral meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. “Iran’s terrorist attacks on commercial shipping in neighbouring countries have shown the need to shift Middle East energy infrastructure away from the Iranian checkpoints,” Trump said. The remarks put renewed focus on IMEC at a time when months of conflict have disrupted traditional energy routes and highlighted the vulnerability of the Strait of Hormuz, historically one of the world’s most important oil and gas arteries.

President #DonaldTrump has endorsed the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (#IMEC), calling it a strategic alternative to Iran-controlled routes. The India-led corridor aims to strengthen trade, connectivity, and energy security between Asia, the Gulf, and Europe. pic.twitter.com/Ebggs6nmWA

— SecureOps (@SecureO5) September 23, 2026

IMEC was unveiled at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023 by India, the United States, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union. The ambitious project envisages an eastern corridor connecting India to the Gulf and a northern corridor linking the Gulf with Europe. At its heart is a network combining shipping and rail links, supplemented by infrastructure for electricity, digital connectivity and clean hydrogen.
Goods arriving from India by sea would be transferred onto rail networks across the Gulf and onward towards the Mediterranean before continuing to European markets. The original objective was to make trade between India, the Middle East and Europe faster and more efficient while deepening economic integration across the three regions.
The UAE occupies a pivotal position in the proposed corridor. Under the plans, cargo from India would arrive in the Gulf before moving through an integrated rail network towards Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Mediterranean. That gives the UAE a potentially important role as the maritime-to-rail gateway between India and the wider IMEC network.