The Middle East is no longer merely a producer of energy; it is fast becoming the epicentre of a new geopolitical contest over corridors, connectivity and control. The launch of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) has signalled more than an infrastructure project. It represents a strategic attempt to redraw trade and energy routes in ways that could alter the region’s geoeconomic balance for decades.

At the same time, the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), in which Iran plays a pivotal role, offers an alternative model of connectivity linking India to Russia and Europe via Iranian territory. What we are witnessing is not simply competition between logistics networks. It is a corridor war with profound implications for energy diplomacy, regional influence and strategic autonomy.

IMEC, backed by India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and supported by Western powers, is designed to connect Indian ports to the Gulf, then onward via rail and maritime routes to Europe. Although officially framed as a trade and infrastructure initiative, its deeper logic lies in energy and strategic realignment. The corridor is expected to facilitate the movement of clean energy, hydrogen exports and potentially electricity interconnections between the Gulf and Europe. In doing so, it embeds Gulf producers more firmly into Western supply chains while offering India an alternative to routes passing through Iran.

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INSTC, by contrast, runs through Iran and positions Tehran as a central transit hub linking South Asia to Eurasia. It shortens shipping times between India and Russia and offers a land bridge that bypasses chokepoints such as the Suez Canal. More importantly, it enhances Iran’s geoeconomic relevance at a time when sanctions have constrained its energy exports. By transforming geography into leverage,........

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