Why India faces dilemma over Iran war while seeking ‘diplomatic flexibility’

2026.03.22 08:20 Iranians stand next to damaged residential buildings in southern Tehran on March 15 amid ongoing US-Israeli attacks against Iran. Photo: EPA As the world reels from the fallout of the Iran war, India is seeking to manage its risks and interests in the Middle East and beyond while maintaining its neutrality in the widening conflict. This can be seen in New Delhi engaging with combatants US and Iran, as well as other nations caught in the crossfire of the war, according to political analysts. In the past two weeks, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has spoken four times with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached out to several Gulf leaders, including those from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Harsh V. Pant, vice-president for studies and foreign policy at the Observer Research Foundation, a Delhi-based think tank, said India had so far handled the situation well and needed to keep communication channels open with all sides, given the “growing fragmentation” between Iran and the Arab states. “India has to carefully navigate this [war situation], because its equities in Arab states are quite high. It has a huge diaspora, big trade and investment relationship,” Pant said. In the near term, Delhi’s focus would be to ensure that its ships did not get struck in the Strait of Hormuz, he added. About 14 per cent of India’s exports to Gulf countries pass through the strategic waterway, while funds sent back home by nearly 10 million Indian workers in the Middle East account for 40 per cent of overall remittances annually, according to Goldman Sachs. India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar speaking at the UN General Assembly last year. He has spoken with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, and other Gulf leaders amid the Middle East war. Photo: Reuters Iran has maintained a chokehold on the strait, where about 20 per cent of the world’s oil and LNG passes through. “India is not a p

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