The visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to India has exposed a reality that both Washington and New Delhi increasingly understand but rarely talk of openly: the India-US relationship is no longer driven by sentiment, democratic rhetoric or shared slogans about the “free world”. It is now a hard negotiation between two ambitious powers trying to secure their own interests in a rapidly destabilising global order. The immediate trigger is energy. The deepening Iran crisis and the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have once again revealed the vulnerability of India’s economic rise.

An energy-hungry nation that imports the overwhelming majority of its crude cannot remain insulated from turmoil in West Asia. Every spike in oil prices eventually feeds inflation, weakens the rupee and strains domestic political stability. Washington sees an opportunity in this crisis. American officials are openly pushing India to buy more US energy, partly as a commercial strategy and partly as a geopolitical realignment away from both Iranian and Russian supplies. The message is clear: America can be........

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