Historical Background: Iran, a mountainous, arid, and ethnically diverse country of Asia. Much of its part consists of the central desert plateau. Iran has long played an important role in this region as an imperial power, and later- because of its geostrategic location with the Arabian sea and abundant natural resources, especially hydrocarbons became the rivalries for superpowers after the colonial rule.
The country's difficulties led to the ascent in 1925 of the Pahlavi line, whose ill-planned efforts to modernize Iran led to widespread dissatisfaction and the dynasty was subsequently overthrown in the Iranian revolution (1979), which set up the parliamentary democracy with Islamic Theocracy run by the country's clergy.
The geographical status of Iran is very important because it is bounded to the north by Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, and Caspian sea, to the east by Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to the south by the Gulf of Persia and Gulf of Oman, and to the west by Turkey and Iraq.
This country is consists of native speakers of Persian with an admix of Kurds, Balochs, Lurs, etc. the majority of Iranian are Muslims of the Ithna-Ashari or Shi-i' branch which is the official state religion.
Why this topic recently trending?
The Iranian government recently approved a 25-years road map with China as a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action(JCPOA), the agreement comes at the time when China has dropped all restraint for new " wolf warrior diplomacy" looked for structuring its domain while rest of world is fighting against Covid-19 pandemic.
the present government preferred a fair policy of deepening Iran's ties with both east and west and tried to balance the synergies with various trans-continental connectivity projects fronted by India, China, and Russia.
There is both fear and hope in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative for Iran. It may be potentially fostering the stability of Iran but on the other hand, there is a fear of Chinese economic dominance put on debt trap.
India on many occasions conveyed its readiness to support the development of the railway's line between Chabahar and Zahedan along the Iranian-Afghan border, but in September last year, Iran took a remarkable measure of tapping into its own wealth fund to carry out the railway's project.
What was the past of Iran, after India's independence?
Iran's joining the Baghdad pact in 1954 and cold war politics separated New Delhi untill1990s. The Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, followed by hostage of U.S. diplomats, Iran-Iraq war, and Iran support for Hizbollah and Hamas among others increasingly led to a range of political and economic sanctions, thereby isolating Iran at the global level.
After the end of the cold world war, liberalization, globalization, and privatization got momentum. During the period of 1990s, India adopted its liberalization policy, changing dynamism of the world order, India also opened its economy to usher the benefits and opportunities at the global platform.
In the 1990s, the interest of both India and Iran converged around energy, central Asia, and security mostly around the Pakistan-Afghanistan region, and after 2002 both entered into a defense cooperation agreement.
For India, Iran is not only geopolitically, geo-economically important but also it provides a connecting link between India and its extended neighborhood, gulf-region and central Asia.
As for china's concern, Belt and Road initiative and development of Gwadar port had pushed India to look at the development of the Chabahar port as the strategic location.
Even though India and Iran have committed to prosperity through greater connectivity but relation becomes volatile due to sanctions imposed by the USA as Iran wanted to develop nuclear weapons which are the major regional threat to Isreal and many a gulf country.
In Iran's points of view, its economy is considered as an economy with a large hydrocarbon sector. India's and Iran's economies ties run through the imports of crude oil and natural gas. From one report of Exim Bank India, India's imports from Iran are overlooked by crude oil, accounting for more than 85% of total India's imports.
In 2014, the USA puts sanctions on Iran, hence imports get fluctuated. one report suggests that India is one of the fast-growing economies in the world. in India there is a colossal demand for energy that is increasing day by day, energy is also a vital input all across the sectors of the economy. India's high growth in GDP and mounting in the output of goods and services results in the requirements of energy is ever increasing.
The challenge for India will be to set up long term supplies at rational prices to meet the growing demand for energy and sustained growth rate of the economy, India needs to plan the sources of the energy supply. India can manage ties with Iran because Iran is not only in proximity to India, but Iran has geopolitical and geostrategic significance for India.
After the end of the cold world war as the result of the collapse of erstwhile USSR in 1991, the changing world order had lead to the emergence of geographical location, and Asia is one of them. In Asia, India, and China are emerging simultaneously, their interests are conflicting at various levels in their immediate neighbor and through the India-Pacific region. China's expansionist policy and more latest China Pakistan Economic Corridors (CPEC), which connects China's Xinjian province to Pakistan's Gwadar port, passes through POK which is disputed territory between India and Pakistan. Without taking India into confidence, China builds this project which is a part of the Belt and Road Initiative.
As dynamics are changing both India and China wanted to influence Iran and the surrounding region. China is looking for the revival of ancient silk roots, while India on the other hand is pursuing connectivity projects like Chabahar port, and India's efforts to connect Central Asia and Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is a land lock country, India has only access to Afghanistan via Iran, basically, through Chabahar port of Iran that's development project is done by India.
After the 9/11 attack in the USA, Afghanistan becomes geostrategically important, this region came in limelight again after the clear withdrawal of the USA from Afghanistan is announced.
After the withdrawal of the USA from Afghanistan, clearly, a vacuum is created that is a security concern for India. It may be obvious that in future Taliban can take over the government of Afghanistan which is a radical Islamic militant group that was removed from power by the USA led invasion in 2001 has gradually regained its strength and now controls and influences more territory than at any point since that time. Pakistan's ISI used these Taliban militants against India for the terrorist attack and infiltration along with the border areas.
As India lack direct connectivity with Afghanistan and central Asia hence Iran becomes crucial for India to secure their interests in Afghanistan and Central Asia. Despite India has all these essential interests attached to Iran, external pressure (like the USA sanctions) and internal challenges have restricted India's relation with Iran. During the time of sanctions imposed on Iran, India faces the challenge of chasing aside with the USA or Iran.
under the threat of Us sanctions, India has zeroed out its oil imports from Iran impel central Asia to change focus to its leather and agriculture sectors to rescue its ailing economy. For India, the Chabahar port was viewed as crucial to the expansion of trade relations with Central Asian nations, offering a much begrudge alternative to Pakistan's Gwadar port.
But in view, despite several rounds of economic sanctions were placed over Iran by the USA, India had never stopped buying oil from Iran completely because as India's government policy, it never followed unilateral sanctions. but also to secure the close relation with the USA, India has gradually brought down the oil imports to zero, it may be noted that it was not sudden but gradual, because India has its own limitation and lack of hydrocarbon resources and heavy dependence on imports and reasonable prices of crude oil, etc.
The concept of Chabahar port in 2003, when tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan peaked, the Iranian government gave permission to Afghanistan to use it for transit purposes. for India, it become opportunities to more involve in Afghanistan and contributes towards the development of Afghanistan, while also addressing its long-standing plan to Bypass notorious neighbor Pakistan and secure safe transit access. In way forward, India has a professional skill to manage its relationship with its neighbors with peace and tranquility, and we are hoping in the future it attends its objective and helps their neighbors in constructive development programs.
The country's difficulties led to the ascent in 1925 of the Pahlavi line, whose ill-planned efforts to modernize Iran led to widespread dissatisfaction and the dynasty was subsequently overthrown in the Iranian revolution (1979), which set up the parliamentary democracy with Islamic Theocracy run by the country's clergy.
The geographical status of Iran is very important because it is bounded to the north by Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, and Caspian sea, to the east by Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to the south by the Gulf of Persia and Gulf of Oman, and to the west by Turkey and Iraq.
This country is consists of native speakers of Persian with an admix of Kurds, Balochs, Lurs, etc. the majority of Iranian are Muslims of the Ithna-Ashari or Shi-i' branch which is the official state religion.
Why this topic recently trending?
The Iranian government recently approved a 25-years road map with China as a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action(JCPOA), the agreement comes at the time when China has dropped all restraint for new " wolf warrior diplomacy" looked for structuring its domain while rest of world is fighting against Covid-19 pandemic.
the present government preferred a fair policy of deepening Iran's ties with both east and west and tried to balance the synergies with various trans-continental connectivity projects fronted by India, China, and Russia.
There is both fear and hope in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative for Iran. It may be potentially fostering the stability of Iran but on the other hand, there is a fear of Chinese economic dominance put on debt trap.
India on many occasions conveyed its readiness to support the development of the railway's line between Chabahar and Zahedan along the Iranian-Afghan border, but in September last year, Iran took a remarkable measure of tapping into its own wealth fund to carry out the railway's project.
What was the past of Iran, after India's independence?
Iran's joining the Baghdad pact in 1954 and cold war politics separated New Delhi untill1990s. The Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, followed by hostage of U.S. diplomats, Iran-Iraq war, and Iran support for Hizbollah and Hamas among others increasingly led to a range of political and economic sanctions, thereby isolating Iran at the global level.
After the end of the cold world war, liberalization, globalization, and privatization got momentum. During the period of 1990s, India adopted its liberalization policy, changing dynamism of the world order, India also opened its economy to usher the benefits and opportunities at the global platform.
In the 1990s, the interest of both India and Iran converged around energy, central Asia, and security mostly around the Pakistan-Afghanistan region, and after 2002 both entered into a defense cooperation agreement.
For India, Iran is not only geopolitically, geo-economically important but also it provides a connecting link between India and its extended neighborhood, gulf-region and central Asia.
As for china's concern, Belt and Road initiative and development of Gwadar port had pushed India to look at the development of the Chabahar port as the strategic location.
Even though India and Iran have committed to prosperity through greater connectivity but relation becomes volatile due to sanctions imposed by the USA as Iran wanted to develop nuclear weapons which are the major regional threat to Isreal and many a gulf country.
In Iran's points of view, its economy is considered as an economy with a large hydrocarbon sector. India's and Iran's economies ties run through the imports of crude oil and natural gas. From one report of Exim Bank India, India's imports from Iran are overlooked by crude oil, accounting for more than 85% of total India's imports.
In 2014, the USA puts sanctions on Iran, hence imports get fluctuated. one report suggests that India is one of the fast-growing economies in the world. in India there is a colossal demand for energy that is increasing day by day, energy is also a vital input all across the sectors of the economy. India's high growth in GDP and mounting in the output of goods and services results in the requirements of energy is ever increasing.
The challenge for India will be to set up long term supplies at rational prices to meet the growing demand for energy and sustained growth rate of the economy, India needs to plan the sources of the energy supply. India can manage ties with Iran because Iran is not only in proximity to India, but Iran has geopolitical and geostrategic significance for India.
After the end of the cold world war as the result of the collapse of erstwhile USSR in 1991, the changing world order had lead to the emergence of geographical location, and Asia is one of them. In Asia, India, and China are emerging simultaneously, their interests are conflicting at various levels in their immediate neighbor and through the India-Pacific region. China's expansionist policy and more latest China Pakistan Economic Corridors (CPEC), which connects China's Xinjian province to Pakistan's Gwadar port, passes through POK which is disputed territory between India and Pakistan. Without taking India into confidence, China builds this project which is a part of the Belt and Road Initiative.
As dynamics are changing both India and China wanted to influence Iran and the surrounding region. China is looking for the revival of ancient silk roots, while India on the other hand is pursuing connectivity projects like Chabahar port, and India's efforts to connect Central Asia and Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is a land lock country, India has only access to Afghanistan via Iran, basically, through Chabahar port of Iran that's development project is done by India.
After the 9/11 attack in the USA, Afghanistan becomes geostrategically important, this region came in limelight again after the clear withdrawal of the USA from Afghanistan is announced.
After the withdrawal of the USA from Afghanistan, clearly, a vacuum is created that is a security concern for India. It may be obvious that in future Taliban can take over the government of Afghanistan which is a radical Islamic militant group that was removed from power by the USA led invasion in 2001 has gradually regained its strength and now controls and influences more territory than at any point since that time. Pakistan's ISI used these Taliban militants against India for the terrorist attack and infiltration along with the border areas.
As India lack direct connectivity with Afghanistan and central Asia hence Iran becomes crucial for India to secure their interests in Afghanistan and Central Asia. Despite India has all these essential interests attached to Iran, external pressure (like the USA sanctions) and internal challenges have restricted India's relation with Iran. During the time of sanctions imposed on Iran, India faces the challenge of chasing aside with the USA or Iran.
under the threat of Us sanctions, India has zeroed out its oil imports from Iran impel central Asia to change focus to its leather and agriculture sectors to rescue its ailing economy. For India, the Chabahar port was viewed as crucial to the expansion of trade relations with Central Asian nations, offering a much begrudge alternative to Pakistan's Gwadar port.
But in view, despite several rounds of economic sanctions were placed over Iran by the USA, India had never stopped buying oil from Iran completely because as India's government policy, it never followed unilateral sanctions. but also to secure the close relation with the USA, India has gradually brought down the oil imports to zero, it may be noted that it was not sudden but gradual, because India has its own limitation and lack of hydrocarbon resources and heavy dependence on imports and reasonable prices of crude oil, etc.
The concept of Chabahar port in 2003, when tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan peaked, the Iranian government gave permission to Afghanistan to use it for transit purposes. for India, it become opportunities to more involve in Afghanistan and contributes towards the development of Afghanistan, while also addressing its long-standing plan to Bypass notorious neighbor Pakistan and secure safe transit access. In way forward, India has a professional skill to manage its relationship with its neighbors with peace and tranquility, and we are hoping in the future it attends its objective and helps their neighbors in constructive development programs.
Way of writing is good..
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGood work keep it up..
ReplyDelete