Aurangzeb Alamgir
Couple of weeks ago, Javad Zarif the Iranian Foreign Minister visited New Delhi and discussed the emerging situation in the region after recently imposed energy sanctions on Iran. In the meeting Indian external affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj underscores dramatically that right now India is unable to import Iranian oil. Experts are declaring the coldhearted response of India as a betrayal with Iran at the time when Iran wants regional and extra-regional partners who can anchor their dying economy. Here it is important to mention that India is one of the three major importers of Iranian oil along with China and Turkey.
Parallel to it, India is the major investor in Iran and doing multiple ventures in developing Iranian infrastructure. Especially, India is the party to a trilateral MOU with Iran and Afghanistan with plans to commit at least $21billion for developing the Chabahar-Hajigak corridor, including $85 million for Chabahar port development by India.
This includes $150 million line of credit by India to Iran, $8 billion India-Iran MoU for Indian industrial investment in Chabahar Special Economic Zone, $11-billion for the Hajigak iron and steel mining project awarded to seven Indian companies in central Afghanistan, and $2 billion commitment to Afghanistan for developing supporting infrastructure including the construction of the Chabahar-Hajigaj railway line.
The Chabahar-Hajigaj railway line holds the potential to expand trade manifold via connectivity to the 7,200-km-long multi-mode North-South Transport Corridor – India is working on to connect to Europe and Turkey – and all across Russia by linking with the R297 Amur highway and the Trans-Siberian Highway.
Over and above, a planned Herat to Mazar-i-Sharif railway will provide access for the Central Asian states via Chabahar Port to link with the Indian market. The Chabahar Port also provides the only means of India developing direct access to its erstwhile air base in Farkhor in Tajikistan. Expert opinion is that Chabahar route will result in 60% reduction in shipment costs and 50% reduction in shipment time from India to Central Asia.
The newly imposed sanctions on Iran will not only affect Indian energy imports from Iran but also obstruct the Indian ventures in Iran. If we try to analyze the rationale of current foreign policy behavior of India towards Iran, American pressure seems an important push factor.
According to reports India’s decision is in adherence with a directive from the Trump administration, which called for New Delhi to end to all its import of crude and petroleum products from Tehran. This is not the first time that US shown disapproval to India on its interaction with rogue states. Couple of months back, America was unhappy with India on its purchase of S-400 missile system from Russia.
India is the US ally in the region to counterweight China. India and the US have seen a growth in convergence of their interest in the last one and a half decade. However, a new shift in the relations took place under Narendra Modi. The US-India bilateral relationship, over the past decade, has not only strengthened in the fields of defence, and economics, but India became a prominent partner of the US in the fields of cyber and homeland security as well.
The growth in the Indo-US strategic partnership over the course of time is one of the most notable geopolitical developments in the post-Cold War world.
If we critically analyze the strategic culture and the style of foreign policy decision making of India, the analysis elaborates the pragmatic approach of foreign policy on Indian side. For instance during cold war era India succeeded to serve its interests from both blocks. And presently in S-400 deal again India utilized this pragmatic approach of its foreign policy but at this time Modi failed to win the consent of Trump administration, which is a little hard to deal.
But in the present scenario the US and India need each other to deal with emerging power China. Nevertheless the present move of India is the strategic lesson for Iran.
After US sanctions Iran needs the uninterrupted exports of its petroleum products and as it is mentioned earlier that India is one of the three countries which import oil from Iran so India is important for Iran. Basically at this time Iran wants India to keep buying its oil in order to keep its economy stable but unfortunately India has left Iran in the time of crisis. And indeed it is also a setback for infrastructure projects in Iran including Chabahar port.
This is the time for Iran to rethink its policy in the region. India has backstabbed Iran under American pressure and because of India Iran remained under censure by Pakistan. It is on the record that India has used Iranian land for acts of terrorism and sabotage against Pakistan and RAW operative Kalbhoshan Yadiv is the living evidence for it. Iran must be clear that the friends can be changed but the neighbor can’t be. So Iran should think and act wisely for larger interests of the region.
