Iran's value in India's regional playbook as counter to Pakistan
New Delhi: The Iran-Israel conflict and India's stance during the episode has once again brought to fore the dynamics of Eurasian geopolitics. Iran remains a key factor in India's regional diplomacy, acting as a counterweight to Pakistan, even as New Delhi continues to nurse its partnership with Tel Aviv.
While Iran's all-powerful Ayatollah has occasionally raised the Kashmir issue to India's discomfort, Tehran has largely been supportive of India's ambitions in the extended neighbourhood, helping to balance Pakistan. This includes India's expanded role in Iran's Chabahar port, including a pact for an Indian entity to run it for 10 years. The significance of the International North South Transport Corridor or INSTC cannot be missed.
Succeeding governments in New Delhi have considered a stable Iran as a counterweight to Pakistan where Sunni extremists pursue an anti-India agenda. These extremists backed by Pakistani institutions, notably Army and ISI, have relentlessly launched cross-border attacks into India.Shia-dominated Iran bordering Pakistan is counterbalance to Islamabad's designs in the region, including denial of connectivity to Afghanistan and Central Asia. It may be recalled that in mid-1990s, Tehran came to India's rescue, preventing a move that could have led the UN to sanction India on the Kashmir issue.A UN move to condemn India over Kashmir - pushed by Pakistan - threatened sanctions and global isolation. In 1994, the then PM Narsimha Rao felt Iran could provide a lifeline to India. He deputed Dinesh Singh, the then external affairs minister, to deliver a message to Iran.
An ailing Singh was pulled out from his hospital bed and flown to Tehran on a special military jet. Then Iran's foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati received Singh on the tarmac himself. Singh, in a wheelchair, handed over a personal message from Rao to the then Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Singh met Rafsanjani, Velayati, and Speaker Nateq-Nouri and returned to New Delhi the same night.Subsequently, Iran refused to back a Pak-sponsored resolution in OIC that was preparing to sponsor a resolution with the backing of some Western nations at the UN Human Rights Commission condemning India for alleged human rights violations in J&K and seeking sanctions.On Sunday, hours after the US attacked three nuclear sites in Iran, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian dialled PM Narendra Modi who expressed deep concern over the escalation of the conflict. Later, at IAEA, India expressed concern over attacks on Iran's nuclear sites.Iran, on its part, has been nudging India to restart oil trade in national currencies. The Modi government had played a key role in Iran securing BRICS and SCO memberships.
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