New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the world leaders to concentrate on the dialogue and diplomacy on March 6, 2026, a few hours after the US Navy had sunk an Iranian war vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, which took the tensions in the Middle East to the boiling point.
The case occurred at the start of Friday when the USS Abraham Lincoln struck the Iranian ship IRIS Sahand and killed 47 of its crewmembers including two captains. The US central command employed the self defense defense when the ship fired warning shots following a blockade of oil tankers. It was called pira by Tehran which threatened to retaliate and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei threatened to retaliate harshly.
The reaction of Modi that was delivered in the Raisina Dialogue, New Delhi was a calculated reaction to the balancing act of India that was delicate. The foreign dignitaries were about him, and he said, Guns must yield to negotiations, and when it is crisis time. India is cooling down, back to the bargaining board. The PM made the nod to the Indian history as a peacemaker with the PM referring to the mediation the Indian had on the 2023 Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations.
Reasons why India is worth being listened to: New Delhi is the third-largest importer of oil in the world whose 85 percent of its crude oil is in the Gulf, 20 percent of which is directly imported out of Iran against the US sanctions. Following the sinking, the price of the Brent crude increased by 12 percent to reach 98/barrel, crippling the economy of India which was worth 3.9 trillion dollars with threat of inflation. Rupee fell by 1.5 per cent to 84.2 on the dollar.
Multi-alignment is actually a replica of the diplomacy of Modi. In 2019, India failed to vote on any UN resolution against Iran and took part in US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian to combat attacks by the Houthi. S. Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar, who was speaking on the sidelines remarked: we have restrained ourselves through back channels-war is not beneficial to anybody.
At home, Modi is attacked on his soft-pedaling. Spokesperson of BJP partner Shiv Sena (UBT): MP Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted: Iran bleeds, Modi preaches? Time to back allies.” The Congress opposition has lamented that the government is back and forth looking at the Chabahar port investments of 500 million dollars which is exasperating Washington.
Globally, reactions split. Israel rejoiced that the attack by the US was a just cause; China condemned the attack as hegemony and Russia proposed Iran S-400. Anonymous officials of the Biden administration cheered the request made by the Modi but reiterated on the commitment that the allies have been promised and that it is ironclad.
For India, stakes are sky-high. A wider war would put 10 million barrels a day made non-usage in Hormuz, leading to skyrocketing of the prices of the global energy and failure of Make in India. The March 15 visit of the Iranian destination by Modi that currently exists in limbo was to spur trade of up to $30 billion.
The cry of negotiations by Modi is heard by the dumb in the face of drones flying and navies in motion. Will diplomacy step in to delay the fire in Hormuz, or will a spiraling up push India into the fire? The backdoor diplomacy of New Delhi, which was silent, including the alleged contacts with Tehran and Tehran, could also be the key one.
