A strategic storm

The turmoil in Iran is an inflection point for India's foreign policy in Asia

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THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S recent imposition of a 25% tariff on countries that do business with Iran presents New Delhi with an unwelcome binary: deepen engagement with Iran and risk severe economic repercussions on trade with the US, or recalibrate India's role in Chabahar and sacrifice a core strategic goal. For India, Iran has never been a distant or peripheral actor; it has been a strategic fulcrum in New Delhi's designs for regional connectivity, security balance, and access to energy and markets. The growing instability poses severe challenges that reverberate across India's broader geopolitical canvas. At the heart of IndiaIran relations lies Chabahar, Iran's only deep-water port on the Gulf of Oman. For years, New Delhi's flagship connectivity project has hinged on this port― giving India a rare overland route to Afghanistan and Central Asia that bypasses Pakistan's often hostile terrain. The port forms a critical node of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), envisioned to link India with Central Asia, Russia, and Europe via Iran. These initiatives are not just trade corridors but strategic tools that counterbalance Pakistan's geo