Mumbai: Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon and that remains a “red line” for the United States, America’s Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Wednesday, as Washington and Tehran remain locked in a tense diplomatic and military standoff over West Asia.

Addressing a question at Citi’s 2026 India Conference in Mumbai, Gor strongly criticised Iran’s regional actions and reiterated the US position on its nuclear programme.

“And that has been the red line for the United States -- that Iran will not have any nuclear weapon,” he emphasised.

Hitting out at Tehran over disruptions in global shipping, Gor said Iran was responsible for instability in the Strait of Hormuz, a key international trade route.

“On energy crisis due to the conflict, the US envoy said there's only one country that is blocking the Strait of Hormuz, and that is Iran. Not only are they blocking the strait, but also holding the world hostage.”

“These (Strait of Hormuz) are international waters, ships, that have nothing to do with this conflict,” he added.

“This president (Trump) does not let individuals hold the world hostage. Sooner or later, something will happen over there, but it's the irresponsibility of the Iranian regime, it's not something that this president will allow to continue,” Gor warned.

Gor also alleged Iranian military escalation across the region following earlier strikes involving the US and Israel.

“After the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran more than three months ago, the Islamic Republic attacked its neighbours and also Gulf states like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman.”

“Iran also attacked Azerbaijan and Turkey and all that was a ‘very reckless move,’ he insisted.

He further added, “Iran fired rockets and imagine the consequences if they were nuclear weapons.”

On the broader West Asia conflict, Gor said the escalation had serious global repercussions, including energy disruptions and rising tensions.

In a separate comment, he also highlighted India-US ties, stating that a trade agreement between the two countries was close to completion.

“We are 99% there, the last 1% we are working on. We are very optimistic that this will get done. It will be a win-win situation for both the US and India,” he said, noting that remaining issues were mainly technical.

Gor is expected to travel to New Delhi for further discussions with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and a visiting US trade delegation, as both sides work towards finalising the agreement.