Opinion | West Asian Crisis: Israel's Defence Imperative, India's Diplomatic Tightrope

For India, the conflict in West Asia is neither abstract nor distant. It carries immediate national consequences

The drums of war that now thunder across West Asia cast long and anxious shadows far beyond its deserts and coastlines.

A conflict – unprecedented in scale and ferocity – has erupted between Israel and Iran, drawing in global powers and unsettling the fragile architecture of regional stability.

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The war reached its flashpoint after the joint forces of Israel and the United States killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a large-scale air strike on February 28. Iran, for its part, retaliated with an unprecedented wave of strikes across West Asia, targeting several Gulf countries that host American military installations, including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

The conflict, which has clearly breached regional confines, is now geopolitical in scope and consequence. The crisis escalated further after a US submarine torpedoed and sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in international waters off Sri Lanka’s coast in the Indian Ocean, killing at least 87 Iranian sailors. Israel, meanwhile, has carried out a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting several strategic locations in Iran.

As the war intensified, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “urgent diplomatic negotiations" to halt the conflict, warning that “the situation could spiral beyond anyone’s control." Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said: “There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender." Iran, for its part, has signalled that it is prepared for a “long war".

The conflict has roiled the global economy, with crude oil prices spiralling past USD 100 per barrel as International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva warns of mounting global inflation risks. In the meantime, Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei as its next supreme leader, a move that Trump called “a big mistake".

ISRAEL’S INTELLIGENCE DIMENSION

A crucial dimension of the ongoing conflict lies in Iran’s long-standing backing of a web of Islamic terror outfits across West Asia.

Multiple intelligence inputs, gathered by Israeli agencies, suggest that Iran has provided sustained support to the Palestinian terror outfit Hamas, which carried out the brutal October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel that left more than 1,400 people dead. These assessments indicate that Tehran’s relationship with Hamas has evolved over the years into a complex web of logistical, financial and strategic cooperation.

According to intelligence reports, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and its elite Quds Force have historically played a central role in facilitating this support. Their involvement has ranged from providing training modules and financial assistance to enabling the supply of weapons and operational guidance. Significantly, Israeli forces have recovered Iranian-manufactured weapon components in Gaza that were linked to the terror organisation.

Beyond Gaza, intelligence assessments point to Iran’s support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen, and a spectrum of terror groups in Iraq with varying strategic objectives. Together, these groups form an influential axis of non-state actors that have contributed to the persistent turbulence across the region, as per intelligence reports.

From Israel’s standpoint, this pattern of sustained Iranian support to hostile non-state actors reinforces its argument that retaliation is an act of self-defence. It is within this broader strategic context that Israel frames its response against Iran.

INDIA’S STRATEGIC TIGHTROPE

For India, the conflict in West Asia is neither abstract nor distant. It carries immediate national consequences.

An estimated one crore Indian nationals reside and work in the Gulf region, making their safety an overriding concern.

Equally critical is India’s energy security as a substantial share of the country’s oil supplies passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Any prolonged disruption could trigger inflationary pressures, supply volatility, and wider macroeconomic stress for India. Therefore, the challenge lies in navigating a region where it maintains vital relationships across competing axes. 

India shares a deepening strategic partnership with Israel, anchored in defence cooperation, technological collaboration, and civilisational affinity. It also enjoys a robust and wide-ranging partnership with the US, spanning defence, trade, technology, and global strategic coordination. India’s economic partnerships with the Gulf monarchies have likewise significantly expanded over the years.

At the same time, India shares deep civilisational bonds with Iran and maintains vital energy engagements with the country. Therefore, it never desires to see Iran pushed towards collapse.

Balancing these overlapping relationships requires careful diplomacy rather than rhetorical positioning. In this volatile landscape, India’s response reflects calibrated statecraft.

INDIA’S CALIBRATED RESPONSE

Amid a maelstrom of military strikes, retaliatory offensives and strategic brinkmanship, India has chosen not the vocabulary of escalation but the language of equilibrium.

At the very outset, Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated India’s position with characteristic clarity. “The current situation in West Asia is a matter of deep concern for us. India supports the resolution of all disputes through dialogue and diplomacy," he said.

The statement is not mere a diplomatic routine. It reaffirms the civilisational and strategic compass that has long guided India’s foreign policy. Echoing this approach, the external affairs ministry urged all sides to exercise restraint, avoid further escalation, and prioritise the safety of civilians.

Prime Minister Modi, who had visited Israel shortly before the conflict erupted, also held a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During the discussion, he conveyed India’s concerns over the rapidly evolving situation in West Asia and stressed on the need to safeguard civilian lives reiterating India’s call for an early cessation of hostilities.

At the same time, New Delhi intensified its outreach across the region. In conversations with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Modi strongly condemned the recent Iranian attacks on both countries as violations of their sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also inquired about the safety and well-being of the large Indian community residing there, while stressing the urgent need for the restoration of regional peace and stability.

Diplomatic engagement has extended across the conflict divide. External affairs minister S Jaishankar held telephonic talks with his Iranian counterpart, maintaining an open channel of communication with Tehran. In a symbolic gesture of diplomatic courtesy, foreign secretary Vikram Misri visited the Iranian embassy in New Delhi to sign the condolence book following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

What distinguishes India’s approach in this turbulent moment is its sustained engagement with stakeholders across the divides. These engagements demonstrate that neutrality does not mean indifference. It  means keeping communication alive when others allow it to collapse.

The fine print of these diplomatic moves reveals a carefully calibrated strategy: one that seeks to keep dialogue alive amid the brink of conflict.

In its measured moves lies the strategic clarity of India’s diplomacy. India’s appeal is not rhetorical symmetry. It is an insistence that war must never become the reflexive instrument of statecraft.

INDIA’S CIVILISATIONAL FRAME

Beyond immediate geopolitical calculations lies a deeper philosophical anchor. India’s civilisational outlook has historically placed a premium on restraint – not as passivity, but as strategic wisdom.

Stability in West Asia directly influences India’s growth trajectory, trade routes, and the security of its diaspora. For India, peace is not merely an ethical aspiration but rather an economic and geopolitical necessity. 

Consequently, India’s message amid the escalating conflict has remained consistent – protect civilian lives, respect sovereignty, avoid escalation, and return to dialogue. In doing so, India positions itself not as a distant observer but as a responsible stakeholder in regional stability.

India’s response to the Israel-Iran conflict reflects confidence rather than hesitation. For India, friendship with Israel does not require hostility toward Iran, just as engagement with Iran does not undermine India’s partnerships with the West. Strategic autonomy allows India to engage with all sides while preserving its independent judgement.

In a world increasingly defined by sharp alignments and escalating rhetoric, India has chosen balance over brinkmanship. India’s voice is not cautious because it is uncertain. It is measured because it recognises that stability, not strife, must ultimately shape the future of West Asia.

(The writer is a senior multimedia journalist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views)

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