As West Asia enters a new phase of volatility, India’s priority must be safeguarding its territorial integrity, ensuring energy security, protecting sea lanes, and strengthening defence capabilities. In that calculus, alignment with Israel while maintaining working transaction relations with Iran better serves India’s long-term national interest

The current turbulence in West Asia has revived an old debate in New Delhi’s strategic circles: where should India’s long-term interests lie when tensions sharpen between Iran and Israel? While India has traditionally pursued a policy of balance, there are compelling arguments rooted in history, geopolitics, security cooperation, and strategic alignment that suggest India’s interests today align more closely with Israel than with Iran.

India’s civilisational links with Persia are deep and culturally significant. Yet history also carries harsher episodes. The 18th-century invasion of India by Nadir Shah culminated in the sack of Delhi in 1739, leaving scars that entered India’s historical memory. While modern Iran is not defined by that episode, it remains a reminder that geopolitical alignments are shaped by power realities, not sentiment.

In the post-independence era, India has fought multiple wars with Pakistan in 1948, 1965, 1971, and during the 1999 Kargil conflict. Throughout these crises, Iran’s posture has often been cautious or ambiguously sympathetic toward Pakistan, particularly in the context of Muslim solidarity. In contrast, Israel has steadily deepened security ties with India since full diplomatic relations were established in 1992. India and Israel share converging security concerns: terrorism, cross-border militancy, and hostile non-state actors. Israel emerged as a key defence supplier to India, especially during moments of urgency. During the Kargil conflict, Israel reportedly expedited surveillance drones and precision-guided munitions to India. Over time,........

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