India in a spot: Micheal Kugleman cautions Delhi over its Iran war 'balancing act'

The senior fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation said that, while on one hand, India maintains strong ties with Israel, it also has good ties with Iran, keeping in mind New Delhi's interests in the Middle East. Hence, it won't be easy for India to perfect a balancing act during the ongoing war.

India is in a tough spot as it faces a difficult diplomatic balancing act as tensions escalate in the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel and the US, geopolitical expert and author Michael Kugelman has said. Speaking to India Today TV, Kugelman said New Delhi must tread cautiously to protect its strategic interests, maintain key partnerships and safeguard energy security while adhering to its long-standing doctrine of strategic autonomy.

Kugelman argued that India is in a tough spot because it maintains close ties with several actors, some of them rivals, directly affected by the conflict.

Over the past decade, India’s relationship with Israel has deepened considerably, particularly in defence cooperation. The partnership has become increasingly important as New Delhi looks to strengthen its military capabilities, including acquiring advanced air defence systems from Israel.

"Balancing would, of course, reflect India’s foreign policy when it comes to strategic autonomy," Kugelman said, noting that maintaining such balance will be difficult in the current climate.

"India’s in a tough spot because we see how important India’s relationship with Israel has become over the last years".

He pointed out that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel shortly before the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, underlining the growing closeness between the two countries.