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India is successfully walking West Asia tightrope. Modi has skilfully avoided taking sides

The Modi government avoided diplomatic adventurism and bravado but engaged sincerely with all the stakeholders in the Iran conflict upfront.

The Strait of Hormuz, named after the Zoroastrian God Ahura Mazda, or Hormizd, has been a choke point in the current war against Iran. It has been a crucial link between India and Iran ever since a few thousand Parsis left Iran some 1,200 years ago with sacred ash from the Fire Temple. This was probably India’s first diplomatic outreach centuries ago. And now, in the middle of an impasse, the Strait of Hormuz was once again opened for Indian oil tankers to pass through.

The greatest victory is that which is won without fighting a war, it is said. India probably did just that, managing a significant diplomatic tightrope. The West Asia conflict is a complex one. Though not a party to it directly, taking sides would have not only been rash but also detrimental to a policy structure that was built and nurtured through years of hard work and diplomatic finesse.

In spite of changes in governments, New Delhi’s core foreign policy formulations on West Asia have not witnessed any major shift. While India supported the Palestinian cause and favoured a negotiated settlement, it also kept upgrading its security ties with Israel. Israel is one of India’s major defence partners, but the oil-rich Arab states continue to be a major source of energy and employment for the Indian diaspora. Without getting into the........

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