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    Op-Ed                                                                    APRIL 17, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 12

                                                            INDIAN INTEREST

                          Why India Must be Actively

                     Involved in Iran Peace Process

            As others step in, New Delhi’s silence raises hard questions about leadership, interests and timing

                     SHOBHAN SAXENA

                  here is a rare disquiet in India’s
                  strategic discourse. The imme-
            Tdiate trigger is uncomfortable:
            Pakistan appearing to take the lead
            in diplomatic efforts around the Iran
            crisis.  For  many in India  —  includ-
            ing sections of Narendra Modi’s own
            support base — that optics alone has
            been enough to provoke outrage. But   Reports indicate that Iran has sought to raise the issue within BRICS, even looking to India to play a role in de-escalation (ANI file photo)
            outrage, while understandable, is be-
            ing misdirected. The problem is not   across the Gulf. Their livelihoods are  Yet, there has been little visible move-  ities when its own economy is on the
            that Pakistan is active. The problem is   tied to regional stability. Any pro-  ment from New Delhi to leverage this   line. Strategic partnerships matter,
            that India is not.                longed conflict in West Asia risks job   forum as a peace platform.  but they are not substitutes for stra-
                For a country that is the world’s   losses, delayed wages, or forced re-  At a time when global governance   tegic autonomy. If the crisis threat-
            largest democracy and aspires to be   turns — all of which would hit India’s   structures are fragmenting, such plat-  ens India’s energy security, trade
            a leading global power, absence in a   remittance  inflows.  These  remittanc-  forms offer rare spaces for dialogue.  flows,  and  diaspora  welfare,  then
            major regional crisis — one that di-  es are not abstract numbers; they sus-  Leadership here would not just serve   India has both the right and the re-
            rectly affects its core interests — is   tain households, drive consumption   India’s interests; it would reinforce its   sponsibility to act.
            difficult to justify. India should have   and stabilize India’s external accounts.  claim to global relevance.  None of this is to suggest that
            been at the center of peace initiatives,   Trade too is taking a hit. The Gulf   Instead, India appears con-  diplomacy is easy. Engaging in a vol-
            not  watching  from  the  sidelines  as   is a crucial market for Indian exports   strained — perhaps by strategic cau-  atile  conflict  involving  Iran  requires
            others fill the vacuum.           — from food to manufactured goods.  tion and its complex relationships   careful balancing. It risks friction with
                Because no major economy is   Shipping disruptions, rising insurance   with the United States and Israel.  partners and demands diplomatic
            feeling  the  tremors  of  this  conflict   costs and uncertainty in logistics are   But that raises a more fundamen-  capital. But leadership is not about
            quite like India.                 already  affecting  flows.  The  longer   tal question: whose interests should   avoiding risk; it is about managing it
                The most immediate impact is   the  conflict  persists,  the  deeper  the   guide Indian policy?  in pursuit of national interest.
            energy. Any disruption involving Iran   damage to India’s exports.      U.S. President Donald Trump       There is still time for India to step
            inevitably  reverberates  through  the   In other words, India is not a pe-  has reportedly indicated that the   in — bilaterally, through backchan-
            Strait of Hormuz. For India, which is   ripheral stakeholder. It is one of the   United  States  is  relatively  insulated   nel diplomacy, or via platforms like
            heavily dependent on imported ener-  most affected parties.         from disruptions in the Strait of Hor-  BRICS. Its historical ties with Iran, its
            gy, even partial disruptions translate   This really makes New Delhi’s dip-  muz. Whether framed as confidence   credibility in the Global South, and
            into higher prices, supply uncertain-  lomatic restraint all the more puzzling.  or indifference, the implication is   its growing global stature position it
            ties and a cascading domestic crisis.   There is also a missed multilater-  clear  —  Washington  does  not  face   uniquely to play a constructive role.
            Refiners are running around desper-  al opportunity. India currently holds   the same stakes as energy-importing   In  geopolitics,  vacuums  do  not
            ately and India’s growth projections   the presidency of BRICS, a platform   economies like India. If anything, it   last. If India does not occupy the
            are coming under strain.          that includes both Iran and other in-  underscores a harsh reality: the U.S.  space, others will — regardless of
                This is not a distant geopolitical   fluential global players. Reports indi-  can afford strategic detachment in   how that looks from New Delhi. The
            contest; it is a direct economic threat.  cate that Iran has sought to raise the   ways India cannot.  anger, then, should not be about Pa-
                Then there is the human dimen-  issue within BRICS, even looking to   India’s foreign policy cannot be   kistan’s activism. It should be about
            sion. Millions of Indians live and work   India to play a role in de-escalation.  an echo of American or Israeli prior-  India’s hesitation.

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