India braces for prolonged West Asia crisis with immediate, long-term strategy

THE government is preparing for a prolonged and complex crisis as the war in West Asia intensifies, with senior officials indicating that New Delhi is planning for both immediate contingencies and a long-term strategic response.

- SHEELA BHATT

Sections of the establishment feel the US-Israel conflict with Iran could widen in the coming weeks. One senior source said the scale of the unfolding situation may require “epic rescue” efforts by India, given its deep economic and human linkages with the Gulf.

“It seems,” the source said candidly, “this war will continue and spread.”

After President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US would continue attacking Iran as long as necessary, officials in New Delhi went on heightened alert.

One senior source involved in strategising outlined India's core concerns, saying, “Our people in the Gulf, oil trade prospects and broader security interests are at stake.”

At the forefront is the safety of between 90 lakh and one crore Indian nationals living and working across Gulf countries and parts of the West Axsia affected by hostilities. Iranian drone and missile strikes have heightened anxiety among them.