What Happened
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Bahrain's King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa to discuss the ongoing conflict in West Asia and convey Eid al-Fitr greetings.
- Both leaders strongly condemned attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure in the region, noting their serious impact on global food, fuel, and fertiliser security.
- PM Modi underlined the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation and maintaining secure shipping routes amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
- Modi also thanked Bahrain's leadership for its continued support toward the welfare of the Indian community residing in the country — a community of approximately 332,000 people.
- The call was part of a wider pattern of India's telephone diplomacy with Gulf leaders during the crisis, with Modi also previously speaking to Saudi Crown Prince MBS and Qatar's Amir.
Static Topic Bridges
India-Bahrain Bilateral Relations
India and Bahrain established diplomatic relations in 1971, the year Bahrain gained independence from the United Kingdom. Despite being a small island nation (approximately 780 sq. km), Bahrain punches above its weight in India's Gulf diplomacy due to its strategic location in the Arabian Gulf and its role in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) architecture.
- Diplomatic relations established: 1971 (year of Bahrain's independence).
- India-Bahrain bilateral trade: approximately USD 1.7 billion annually in recent years; CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement) negotiations underway.
- Indian diaspora in Bahrain: approximately 332,000 — constituting nearly a quarter of Bahrain's total population; one of the largest diaspora concentrations relative to host-country population size.
- Defence and security cooperation: intelligence sharing, maritime security cooperation, capacity building, and cybersecurity initiatives.
- Bahrain and other GCC members support India's candidacy for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
- India operates a naval base in Bahrain — INS Varuna/the Indian Navy's resident unit at the US Naval Support Activity Bahrain — under a bilateral agreement for Indian military access.
Connection to this news: India's call with Bahrain's King reflects a strategic outreach pattern — Bahrain is both a home to a large Indian diaspora and a key partner in the GCC's maritime security architecture, making it a vital interlocutor during a Persian Gulf crisis.
India's Gulf Diplomacy and the "Think West" Policy
India's engagement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states has evolved from a predominantly economic (remittances, oil) relationship to a multi-dimensional strategic partnership under the "Think West" policy framework, reinforced by PM Modi's multiple visits to Gulf nations since 2015. The Gulf region is home to approximately 8.9 million Indians — the largest single-country diaspora in the world in a single region.
- GCC members: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman — established 1981, headquartered in Riyadh.
- India-GCC trade (2024-25): approximately USD 160–170 billion — GCC is India's largest regional trading partner.
- Indian diaspora remittances from the Gulf: approximately USD 40–50 billion annually — the Gulf region accounts for nearly half of India's total remittance inflows.
- India and GCC are negotiating an India-GCC Free Trade Agreement — stalled since 2008 but revived in 2023.
- Modi's "Think West" policy (post-2014): elevated GCC states from transactional partners to comprehensive strategic partners; India signed Strategic Partnership agreements with Saudi Arabia (2019), UAE (2017), Qatar (2015).
Connection to this news: The Modi-Bahrain call is not an isolated incident but part of India's systematic diplomatic outreach to all GCC states during the Iran conflict — aimed at protecting the Indian diaspora, securing energy supply lines, and establishing India as a responsible regional stakeholder committed to shipping security.
Freedom of Navigation and India's Maritime Security Doctrine
India has consistently articulated a rules-based maritime order as a core foreign policy priority, particularly since the 2016 UNSC declaration on the South China Sea and India's growing engagement with the Quad. PM Modi's emphasis on "freedom of navigation" in the Bahrain call echoes India's longstanding maritime doctrine.
- India's Maritime Security Strategy (2015 and updated 2022): articulates a "zone of influence" from the Persian Gulf to the Strait of Malacca; commits to ensuring open sea lanes for global trade.
- The Indian Navy's Western Naval Command is responsible for the Arabian Sea region; India has significantly increased naval deployments in the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Persian Gulf since 2024.
- India participated in Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) operations — a US-led multinational naval partnership — including Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) focused on anti-smuggling/piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
- India's position on the Hormuz crisis is "engaged non-alignment" — criticising disruption without formally joining any military coalition.
- The MEA statement following Modi's Bahrain call referenced the "3Fs" framework: food, fuel, and fertiliser security — linking maritime freedom to global food security given India's fertiliser import dependency.
Connection to this news: Modi's call with Bahrain's King reinforces India's positioning as a constructive diplomatic actor in the Gulf — one that speaks up for shipping freedom and civilian infrastructure protection without taking sides in the Iran-US/Israel conflict.
Key Facts & Data
- India-Bahrain diplomatic relations established: 1971
- Indian diaspora in Bahrain: ~332,000 (~25% of Bahrain's total population)
- India-Bahrain bilateral trade: ~USD 1.7 billion annually; CEPA negotiations underway
- GCC established: 1981; members: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman; HQ: Riyadh
- India-GCC trade (2024-25): ~USD 160–170 billion (India's largest regional trading partner)
- Indian diaspora in Gulf region: ~8.9 million total
- Gulf remittances to India: ~USD 40–50 billion/year (~50% of India's total inward remittances)
- Modi's West Asia phone calls during crisis: Bahrain King, Saudi Crown Prince MBS, Qatar Amir
- India's Maritime Security Strategy: 2015 (updated 2022); covers Persian Gulf to Strait of Malacca