What Happened
- The United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and targeting nuclear and military installations.
- India has maintained a position of "calibrated silence," calling for a ceasefire but notably refraining from condemning the US-Israeli strikes while condemning Iranian counter-strikes on Arab states.
- India's Ministry of External Affairs expressed concern and urged de-escalation, framing India's position around protecting its 10 million diaspora in the Gulf and safeguarding energy security.
- India has broken ranks with BRICS partners — China, Russia, and South Africa — which have backed Iran. This is particularly significant as India holds the BRICS chairmanship in 2026.
- Pakistan has emerged as a key back-channel interlocutor between Iran and the United States, a development analysts view as a strategic setback for India's efforts to position itself as the indispensable regional power.
Static Topic Bridges
India's Non-Alignment and Strategic Autonomy
Non-Alignment was the cornerstone of India's Cold War foreign policy, articulated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru through the Panchsheel principles (1954) — mutual respect for sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference, equality, and peaceful coexistence. After 1991, India evolved toward "strategic autonomy" — retaining the right to make independent foreign policy decisions without being bound to any bloc, while building partnerships with multiple powers simultaneously.
- Panchsheel (Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence) signed with China in 1954
- India co-founded the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1961 at Belgrade
- India's 1998 nuclear tests forced a recalibration, and the 2005 US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement deepened strategic ties with Washington
- Strategic autonomy allows India to buy Russian weapons (S-400), partner with the US on defence, and maintain ties with Iran — simultaneously
Connection to this news: India's silence on the US-Israel strikes, while condemning Iranian retaliation, signals a tilt toward Washington that critics argue undermines the strategic autonomy doctrine that differentiates India's foreign policy from outright alignment.
India-Iran Bilateral Relations and Chabahar Port
India and Iran share a relationship shaped by energy interdependence, civilizational ties, and geostrategic complementarities. Iran was historically among India's top oil suppliers before US sanctions under CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) forced India to reduce oil imports in 2019. The Chabahar Port — developed by India on Iran's southeastern coast — is a critical strategic asset providing India a sea-land route to Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan.
- Chabahar Port: India signed a 10-year contract with Iran in 2024 to operate Shahid Beheshti terminal
- International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC): 7,200 km multi-modal route connecting India-Iran-Russia-Europe
- India's trade with Iran stood at approximately $2 billion annually (pre-sanctions)
- CAATSA (2017): US law imposing sanctions on entities trading with Russia, Iran, and North Korea — India received waivers for Chabahar
- Iran is also India's land bridge to Afghanistan and a vital node in INSTC's eastern wing
Connection to this news: The Iran conflict puts both Chabahar Port operations and INSTC connectivity at risk. With Iran in political turmoil, India's decades-long infrastructure investment faces uncertainty — making India's diplomatic balancing act critical for protecting these strategic assets.
BRICS and India's Multilateral Positioning
BRICS (originally BRIC, formed 2009) is a grouping of major emerging economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa — expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. The bloc represents approximately 37% of global GDP by PPP and 46% of the world's population. India holds the BRICS chairmanship in 2026.
- BRICS New Development Bank (NDB): Headquartered in Shanghai, India holds significant shareholding
- Iran joined BRICS as a full member in January 2024
- BRICS has pushed for de-dollarisation of trade settlements and alternative payment systems
- As chair in 2026, India is expected to set the agenda and host the BRICS Summit
Connection to this news: India's implicit support for the US-Israel position while Iran — a fellow BRICS member — is under attack creates a profound contradiction in India's multilateral diplomacy and complicates its leadership of BRICS in 2026.
Key Facts & Data
- 10 million: Indians working in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries
- $40+ billion: Annual remittance inflows from the Gulf, roughly one-third of India's total remittances
- 85%: Share of India's crude oil imports transiting through or originating in the Gulf/Middle East
- 14.7%: India's share of Strait of Hormuz oil flows (Q1 2025) — second only to China's 37.7%
- Panchsheel (1954): Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence that underpinned India's non-alignment
- CAATSA (2017): US law that forced India to reduce Iranian oil imports; India received Chabahar exemption
- BRICS expanded to 10 members in January 2024, with Iran as a full member
- 7,200 km: Length of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)