"India's West Asia Strategy Faces Stress Amid Regional Security Realignment"
Strategic Autonomy
India's foreign policy doctrine of maintaining independent ties with rival blocs without formal alignment.
I2U2
Plurilateral grouping of India, Israel, the United States, and UAE focused on food, energy, and infrastructure.
India's engagement with West Asia is not a recent diplomatic convenience — it is a structural necessity rooted in energy dependence, diaspora ties, and trade geography. India imports over 85 per cent of its crude oil requirements, making it the world's third-largest oil importer. Approximately 40 per cent of its crude oil and 60 per cent of its LNG originate from West Asia, shipped predominantly through the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow chokepoint through which roughly 20 per cent of global oil trade passes. Any disruption there is not merely a regional event; it is a systemic shock to India's macroeconomic stability.
Beyond energy, West Asia hosts the Indian diaspora — the largest concentration of overseas Indians globally, with over eight million workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states alone. Their remittances constitute a significant share of India's foreign exchange inflows, making the region's political stability a matter of domestic economic consequence as well. India's historical posture in West Asia has been one of strategic autonomy — maintaining equidistant relationships with rival blocs (Arab states and Iran, the United States and its adversaries) to protect these multiple interests simultaneously.
India's West Asia policy rests on several interlocking pillars. The first is energy security, operationalised through long-term supply contracts with Gulf producers, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) — which holds approximately 5.33 million metric tonnes, providing only 9–10 days of consumption cover against the IEA's 90-day benchmark — and ongoing efforts at supply diversification toward Russia, the United States, and Africa.
The second pillar is connectivity and trade infrastructure. The Chabahar Port agreement with Iran, under which India has a long-term lease, is India's most consequential connectivity investment in the region. It provides a maritime-to-land corridor bypassing Pakistan, enabling access to Afghanistan and Central Asia — a strategic imperative that the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) further amplifies by linking India to Europe via Iran and Russia. …
What is the importance of developing Chabahar Port by India?
India, is one of the founding members of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multi-modal transport corridor. This corridor will connect
With reference to India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), consider the following statements:
1.India's SPR currently provides approximately 9–10 days of consumption cover.
2.The International Energy Agency (IEA) recommends member countries maintain a minimum of 90 days of net oil import cover.
3.India is a full member of the IEA.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements about the I2U2 grouping:
1.It comprises India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
2.It was established primarily as a defence and security alliance.
3.Its stated areas of cooperation include food security, clean energy, and infrastructure.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the following best explains why Chabahar Port is strategically significant for India?
Consider the following pairs:
Connectivity Initiative — Primary Transit Country
1.INSTC — Iran
2.IMEC — Pakistan
3.Chabahar Port — Iran
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
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