As India and US seek to reset defence ties, Iran war threatens to be the wild card
Plumes of smoke rise following reported explosions close to Sepah Square in Tehran on March 1 amid the ongoing US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Photo: TNS A visit by a top American official to India this week has raised expectations that bilateral defence ties are getting “back on track” amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
But analysts warn that both sides are unlikely to reach full agreement on New Delhi’s energy and security concerns, while the US-Israeli war against Iran could unsettle the relationship.
Speaking in New Delhi on Wednesday, US Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby said India would play a central role in shaping a favourable balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.
India’s size, geography, and growing military and economic strength make its balancing role essential, according to Colby, describing Delhi as a major force in global affairs.
Colby met Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday on the sidelines of a meeting of the India-US Defence Policy Group, India’s External Affairs Ministry said. “They exchanged views on advancing bilateral defence cooperation, regional security, and further strengthening the strategic partnership,” the ministry’s spokesman Randhir Jaiswal wrote on social media.
According to a statement from Washington, Colby’s visit was “to help advance the critical India-US relationship” and on “implementing the Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership”.
US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Elbridge Colby testifies before a Senate hearing on March 3 in Washington.
Photo: Getty Images via AFP The visit, which began on Tuesday, came as US-India tensions persist over Washington’s imposition of tariffs on Indian exports and its criticism of Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.
Earlier this month, Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which had earlier taken part in a naval drill hosted by India, was torpedoed by an American submarine in the Indian Ocean, sparking anger among politicians and observers in India.
Describing the sinking of IRIS Dena as a concern for India-US ties, Anushka Saxena, a research analyst at the Takshashila Institution, said the attack happened in a non-conflict zone in the Indian Ocean, unlike the Red Sea targeted by Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi forces.
Daniel Markey, a senior fellow at the Stimson Centre, said Colby’s visit reflected Washington’s desire to “get defence ties back on track” with Delhi following tensions between both sides over the past year.
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