West Asia war: India must look beyond balancing act, say experts

New Delhi: The ongoing war between Iran and Israel/the United States has entirely changed the geopolitical landscape of West Asia. Several countries in the region play a significant role for India on multiple fronts: from being a crucial source for energy security to sea lane security and being a second home to millions of Indian workers. While there are no signs of an immediate truce between the conflicting parties, it is becoming increasingly difficult for India to continue with its balancing act policy.

To address these geopolitical dynamics and India’s strategy during the war, the International Dialogue and Diplomacy Foundation (IDDF) organized a symposium on “India’s West Asia Relations after the Iran–Israel/US War” on May 18, 2026, at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi. This event provided an opportunity for analyzing such a dynamic scenario and understanding its ramifications for India.

The symposium, chaired by Ambassador K.P. Fabian, focused on crisis management, strategic opportunity, and Indian policy in the war and post-war period. It addressed critical issues and achieved strategic objectives in policy formulation, strategic balancing, diaspora and humanitarian security, energy and economic security, and global leadership transitions.

Ambassador Fabian said that India’s post-war policy towards West Asia inevitably depends on how it conducted itself during the war. Drawing attention to the tense world situation, he cited Donald Trump who said, “The clock is ticking for Iran,” while reminding the US that the clock is ticking for the President as well.

Dr. Sreeram Chaulia, Dean of Jindal School of International Affairs, O. P. Jindal University, Sonipat, said the war did not happen in a vacuum but rather in connection to the attacks on October 7, 2023. He emphasized the significance of West Asia for India in terms of energy, diaspora, remittances, and commerce, and how India faces the challenge of being a partner to both sides of the conflict while ensuring its commercial interests via the Strait of Hormuz. Dr. Chaulia dismissed Pakistan’s US-driven mediation role as untenable for Israel. “India’s presence in global forums makes it a far superior peace broker, leveraging international diplomacy to project itself as a rising power through proactive but cautious engagement,” he said.

While answering a question, Dr. Chaulia clarified that an attempt from India to make overseas bases will not be considered military adventurism since, in the current geopolitical scenario and global rivalries, it is important for India to also assert itself.

Lt. Gen. Arvinder Singh Lamba emphasized the need for effective military diplomacy as a sustainable approach to conflict resolution and deterrence. He described the existing scenario as a delicate contactless war marked by asymmetry, drones, and denial of airspace. Emphasizing that any political overreach in military matters leads to catastrophic results for world energy security, he highlighted the involvement of major players such as Russia and China. Crucially, he noted how Houthi maritime aggression near the Strait of Hormuz, including targeted strikes on India-bound commercial shipping vessels, complicates broader regional security and India’s bilateral dynamics.

Ambassador Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, who has served as India’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, said that changes in regional dynamics, such as the Saudi-Iran rapprochement mediated by China in March 2023 and regional attention to Vision 2030, have led to a loss of the traditional strategic credibility of the US to the advantage of China. He pointed out that India is one of the casualties of the “double blockade” imposed by the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz, facing huge economic challenges related to the import of agricultural fertilizer, $50 billion worth of remittances from the Indian diaspora, and connectivity projects such as Chabahar and IMEC. He also spoke about how India has made a “midway course correction” during the war. At the beginning of the war, India appeared to be standing with Israel, while in the later phase, it engaged with all the parties. He also said that on the question of Palestine, India is back to its position of supporting a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders.

Colonel Rajeev Agarwal said that the conflict is an unnecessary war with severe global ramifications. He spoke about the asymmetric “war of percentages” strategy of observation, endurance, dispersion, and diversion. “While the aim of the war was to attack Iran’s nuclear and missile programs to bring about a regime change, it has gravely undermined the US credibility and opened up critical vulnerabilities within the supply chain,” he said.

INDIA NEWS STREAM