India needs Iran by its side to keep its maritime trade routes to Europe safe
Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar visited Iran this week, amidst the severe disruptions emerging in one of the busiest and crucial maritime trade routes the Gaza war zone bleeding into the sea. Mr Jaishankar had a fortnight back made a special five-day trip to Russia, which is unrelenting in its pursuit against Ukraine to have a greater say in Europe politics. Earlier this week Indian PM also spoke to President Putin on several geo-political issues and the two military combats in Europe and West Asia.
India’s outreach to countries such as Iran and Russia, both of whom are from the non-US block, at a time of growing partnership between India and the US, is strategic, given, the damaging impact of the raging wars on India’s economy. During his Iran visit, EAM Jaishankar, also nuanced India’s Middle East (read Palestine) foreign policy outlook. India and Israel have been close allies and collaborate on several high-end defence technology projects, however, India hasn’t distanced itself from Palestine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi shares a warm relationship with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Israel on October 23, had come out strongly in support of the nation. However, nearly five months after the Israel terror attack, the war has spilt beyond into the Red Sea, an important maritime trade route. The Houthi extremists (who unofficially enjoy Iran patronage) have fanned out into the Red Sea targeting multiple ships, moving billions of dollars in goods to Europe and further to the US. As per the Indian Ministry of Commerce, nearly 80 per cent of India’s exports to Europe take place via the Red Sea route and the recent attacks on Indian ships have worsened the situation. Indian exports to Europe were already under pressure due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war and with the Red Sea route becoming another flashpoint, exports particularly of low-value items are facing higher shipping costs, which could India’s export growth.
EAM Jaishankar in his joint statement with the minister of foreign affairs of Iran stated “There have also been recently a perceptible increase in threats to the safety of maritime commercial traffic in this important part of the Indian Ocean...This is a matter of great concern to the international community. Obviously, it also has a direct bearing on India's energy and economic interests. This fraught situation is not to the benefit of any party and this must be clearly recognised.” Meanwhile, in a balancing act, he did mention the loss of civilian lives in Gaza and stated “India has a long-standing and uncompromising position against terrorism in all forms and manifestations. This remains so very much.
At the same time, we strongly believe that it is imperative to avoid loss of civilian life in any conflict situation. The deeply concerning situation in Gaza was naturally a subject of our discussions. The loss of civilian lives, especially that of women and children was our primary focus.
There is a visible humanitarian crisis that needs to be addressed and the creation of sustainable humanitarian corridors is the need of the day. We welcome the international community’s efforts in that direction. India itself has delivered shipments of relief material to Gaza and contributed to the UNRWA. On the issue of Palestine, let me reiterate India’s long-standing support for a two-state solution, where the Palestinian people are able to live freely in an independent country within secure borders. I stressed the need for all parties to avoid provocative and escalatory actions, and to facilitate movement towards dialogue and diplomacy.”
Iran has a crucial voice in matters related to West Asia and ensuring the safety of Indian sailors and goods on ships, besides impacting the fate of exporters on ships. It was perhaps no coincidence that even as EAM was in Iran, the latter had launched massive strikes on terrorist sites in Pakistan.
(The writer is a policy analyst; views are personal)
