NEW DELHI, Oct. 12 -- US ambassador-designate Sergio Gor held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, focusing on defence cooperation, trade and critical minerals, and emphasised that President Donald Trump considers Modi a "great personal friend". The meeting came as the two countries seek to repair ties that hit their lowest point in nearly two decades over the summer - the rapport between the two leaders has become central to restoring relations strained by months of bitter tensions over tariffs. "President Trump considers Modi a great leader and personal friend. In fact, just before I left for New Delhi, they had an incredible phone call. That is something that will continue over the weeks and months ahead," said Gor, according to a statement by the American embassy in India. Gor, who arrived in New Delhi on Saturday morning for a six-day visit, met successively with foreign secretary Vikram Misri, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and national security advisor Ajit Doval before his meeting with Modi. He was accompanied by deputy secretary for management and resources Michael J Rigas. "We had a great series of meetings including with foreign secretary Misri, with external affairs minister Jaishankar and national security advisor Doval," Gor said. Describing his meeting with Modi as "incredible", Gor added: "We also discussed the importance of critical minerals and the importance of that to both our nations." The discussion on critical minerals assumes significance against the backdrop of China imposing export restrictions on them. Trump, reacting to the curbs by Beijing, threatened a new 100% tariff rate on imports from China to the US from November 1 and indicated that he could call off a planned meeting with the Chinese president Xi Jinping next month. Gor, a member of Trump's inner circle, said the US "values" its relationship with India and expressed optimism about the partnership under Trump and Modi's leadership. "Under the strong leadership of President Donald J Trump and Prime Minister Modi, I am optimistic about the days ahead for both of our nations," he added. Modi said on social media he was "glad" to receive Gor and expressed confidence that "his tenure will further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership". He shared a photograph of Gor gifting him a picture of Trump and Modi together, with the US president having signed it: "Mr Prime Minister, you are great!". Jaishankar said he was pleased to meet the ambassador-designate and discussed "the India-US relationship and its global significance" with him. "Wish him the best for his new responsibility," he said. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described Misri's meeting with Gor as a "productive exchange" on the strategic partnership and shared priorities. Neither side provided detailed official readouts of the discussions beyond the social media statements. The US embassy said in a statement that Gor is meeting Indian government counterparts to "discuss opportunities to further deepen our ambitious strategic partnership and promote a safer, stronger, and more prosperous relationship". The visit comes as Washington and New Delhi work to restore relations that deteriorated sharply over the summer. Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods in late July, including a 25% punitive levy over India's purchase of Russian crude oil. India described the tariff action as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable". The measures stalled bilateral trade deal discussions. The relationship between the two leaders, who had previously appeared together at massive rallies in Texas and Gujarat and cultivated a public friendship, appeared to be under strain over the summer. According to reports, Trump attempted to call Modi multiple times after imposing the tariffs, but the Indian leader consistently refused to take the calls. Amid the tensions, Modi attended a China-hosted summit where he was photographed holding hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi, prompting an angry response from Trump on social media. However, the ice appeared to break on September 17 when Trump called Modi on his birthday. "Just had a wonderful phone call with my friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. Modi responded by referring to Trump as "my friend" and expressing commitment to advancing the bilateral partnership. Since then, diplomatic engagement has accelerated rapidly. After a call with Trump on Thursday, Modi said the two sides reviewed "good progress achieved in trade negotiations". Following the birthday call, a US team led by assistant trade representative Brendan Lynch travelled to New Delhi to resume discussions on a bilateral trade agreement. Commerce minister Piyush Goyal and Jaishankar subsequently visited Washington....