- The Indian-Iranian relations are especially important for India due to the geopolitical importance of Iran, which serves as a bridge between South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
- Chabahar serves as a route towards Afghanistan and Central Asia, minimizing the dependence on transit across Pakistan.
- The visit of Pezeshkian to New Delhi is also an illustration of the rising significance of BRICS as a diplomatic platform.
- India is trying to maintain its strategic autonomy by balancing between different power centers and also making use of institutional mechanisms like BRICS and SCO for broadening its diplomatic horizons.
The significance of Iran’s recent focus on its relations with India before President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to New Delhi indicates the strategic importance that both countries attribute to their long-established relation. It was also pointed out by the Iranian leadership that the existing relations between Tehran and New Delhi are “very good” and “longstanding, historic and civilisational”. The upcoming BRICS Summit may also help in enhancing economic cooperation and in making progress in connectivity-related issues, especially the strategically important Chabahar Port.
Masoud Pezeshkian will pay a visit to India for the 18th BRICS Summit which will be held on September 12-13 after meeting Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi at the SCO summit in Bishkek.
These steps have taken place amidst the ongoing conflict and instability in West Asia region and competition amongst nations.
Strategic Autonomy at the Core of India’s Iran Policy
From the IR standpoint, relations between India and Iran demonstrate the Indian approach towards its strategic autonomy. In this context, India has developed strong strategic cooperation with both the US and other Western countries and with Russia, Iran and other non-Western nations at the same time.
The described attitude can be characterized as the realist vision of foreign policy when states try to maximize their interests and do not take a permanent side in any geopolitical camp.
The Indian-Iranian relations are especially important for India due to the geopolitical importance of Iran, which serves as a bridge between South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Thus, India-Iran relations go far beyond bilateral diplomatic cooperation.
Esmail Baghaei’s statements of Iranian Foreign Ministry on the importance of India as a partner in trade and economic cooperation prove the recognition of Tehran about India’s increasing influence in international organizations such as SCO and BRICS.
Chabahar Port: Infrastructure as Geopolitical Power
Chabahar Port continues to be an indispensable element of Indian-Iranian strategy. Baghaei emphasized the significance of Chabahar as an issue which would be constantly discussed during consultations between the two states.
In terms of International Relations, infrastructure is viewed more and more often as a geoeconomic tool. In turn, ports, transport corridors, and logistics chains can impact trade routes, strategic accesses, and connectivity in a particular region.
For India, Chabahar serves as a route towards Afghanistan and Central Asia, minimizing the dependence on transit across Pakistan. Consequently, Chabahar is a part of the wider New Delhi policy aimed at enhancing connectivity in Eurasia.
On the other hand, instability in West Asia and ambiguity of international sanctions complicate the development of economic cooperation. Therefore, it is crucial for India to maintain diplomatic relations with Iran to ensure its connectivity interests.
BRICS Creates Space for Diplomacy
The visit of Pezeshkian to New Delhi is also an illustration of the rising significance of BRICS as a diplomatic platform.
As BRICS welcomed Iran, the involvement of this country in the framework becomes highly significant in terms of India using multilateral institutions to involve countries with various geopolitical outlooks.
For Tehran, this framework can become a means to develop closer contacts with large emerging economies and escape its diplomatic isolation. For India, the involvement of Iran into BRICS means that New Delhi can establish contacts without seeing everything through the lens of the tension between the US and Iran. It is the logic of institutional balancing.
Sanctions Concerns for Washington
India’s relations with Iran continue to be monitored by the US as well. Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, has cautioned countries not to assist Iran in evading sanctions imposed by America. These statements indicate the constraints on India-Iran economic collaboration from the outside.
New Delhi faces the task of navigating a difficult path where it needs to pursue economic and strategic collaboration with Iran without causing any significant harm to its relations with Washington.
This indicates the constraint of strategic autonomy, which does not mean independence from geopolitics but balancing competing pressures and preserving as much policy space as possible.
Security Concerns in West Asia and India
The other factor which played an important role in Modi’s visit to Tehran was that of instability prevailing in West Asia. India has always been promoting the cause of dialogue and diplomacy for solving disputes in the region. The significance of maintaining peace and stability in the region cannot be denied.
It is because India understands the significance of economic security within national security. It can cause disruption in maritime routes and increase shipping costs due to disruptions in energy supply and global trading.
India has a direct stake in safeguarding itself against any kind of regional instability because of commercial connectivity reasons.
India-Iran Relations and Multipolar International System
In this regard, the renewal of diplomatic ties can be seen as part of the larger process of the emergence of a multipolar international system, where India is keen on operating independently and being able to deal with the US, Russia, Iran, China, Central Asia and other poles.
For its part, Iran perceives bodies like BRICS and SCO as instruments that can help it build up relations with non-Western actors.
Thus, their rapprochement is to some extent also driven by strategic considerations, since both countries find beneficial a system where the foreign policy of a country is not dictated by the West alone.
Nevertheless, this does not mean that India and Iran have the same strategic interests, for India still has good relations with the US and Gulf states, whereas Iran is involved in many regional conflicts and subject to American sanctions.
Conclusion
The upcoming visit of President Pezeshkian to New Delhi will serve as another chance for both India and Iran to take their new-found diplomatic relations to the next level. Diversification of trade, Chabahar Port, connectivity and stability in the region will continue to feature prominently in the relationship between the two countries.
The significance in the context of contemporary Indian foreign policy is more in what the India-Iran relationship tells us about the same. India is trying to maintain its strategic autonomy by balancing between different power centers and also making use of institutional mechanisms like BRICS and SCO for broadening its diplomatic horizons.
Iran is an important economic and diplomatic ally for India. On the other hand, for India, Iran continues to have strategic value on account of its geography, connectivity and involvement in West Asian politics.
It will be a challenging task for both countries to convert political bonhomie into economic cooperation in light of the US sanctions, instability in the region and competing geopolitical interests.
Anjali Singh is a postgraduate student of Political Science and International Relations, a Social Media Analyst, and a former Research Intern at the Indian Council of World Affairs. Views expressed are the author’s own.
Shivendra Shukla 
Archita Gaur 
Divyanka Tandon