The war between the United States, Israel, and Iran has, riding the waves of the Indian Ocean, reached our doorstep. Since the incident where Iran’s warship Dena was torpedoed and sunk by an American submarine 44 nautical miles off the coast of Sri Lanka, there has been intense discussion and criticism in India and abroad regarding India’s role. This ship was our guest; it was returning after participating in a multinational naval exercise in Visakhapatnam when it was sunk. However, we have been involved in this war ever since Prime Minister Modi visited Israel.
Just hours after this visit ended, Iran was attacked. Israel’s Foreign Minister stated that Prime Minister Modi was not informed about this in advance. This is a diplomatic betrayal. On one hand, it is said that India and Israel are close friends, yet on the other hand, our Prime Minister was kept in the dark and placed in an uncomfortable position. In the U.S.-Israeli attack, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed. During his rule, Iranian society, politics, and economy declined. But that is their matter. He was the head of a country with which India has ancient ties and which is a neighboring nation.
The Indian government did not immediately express condolences, while the U.S. and Israel set a very wrong precedent. In such circumstances, no head of state would remain safe. If tomorrow Russia attacks Ukraine’s President Zelensky, would that be justified? Five days after India’s silence raised questions everywhere, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was sent to the Iranian embassy, where he signed the condolence book and expressed sympathy. However, no political leader formally expressed condolences.
Then the issue of the sinking of the Iranian warship Dena flared up. The ship was not in our waters, nor was it in Sri Lankan waters. The distress signal it sent went to Sri Lanka, which rescued 32 of the 130 sailors. India bears no responsibility, but troubling questions do arise. First, did India know that a U.S. nuclear submarine was prowling for targets in our neighborhood? If we did not know, that is even more worrying, because we consider ourselves the guardians of the Indian Ocean. Foreign Minister Jaishankar admitted, “Yes, we are a country providing security in the Indian Ocean. But the reality of the sea is different. Other countries are also present here.”
He is, in effect, undermining himself. Second, this warship and its sailors were our guests. Iran has said, “They were guests of India.” Former Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash said this is “a blow to our regional credibility and strategic autonomy,” and he believes we have a moral responsibility to raise our voice for a ship that was our guest. But Jaishankar dismissed the matter by citing the “reality of the sea.” Former Foreign Secretary Vivek Katju remarked, “Is the possibility of angering the U.S. holding us back?” This is the question resonating across the country. Meanwhile, U.S. arrogance has not diminished, and oil prices in the Gulf have surged due to the war.
India is a major oil importer. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made the peculiar statement: “India has been a very good actor. We asked them to stop buying oil from Russia, and they did so. Considering the temporary shortage of oil globally, we allowed them to buy Russian oil for 30 days.” The English word “waiver” was also used. Initially, the Indian government remained silent and then, via anonymous officials, said that “we take our own decisions,” but gave no direct response regarding “permission” or “waiver.”
American officials are saying that India’s decisions are being made not in New Delhi but in Washington, yet New Delhi remains silent. For months, American officials have been embarrassing us, and we have not responded. People are astonished, and social media repeatedly raises the question: is India’s strategic autonomy just superficial? This is the new Trump-style imperialism being imposed on us. It should be confronted firmly. The fact is, we reduced purchases of cheaper Russian oil and are now buying more expensive oil. Russia, angered, will no longer provide cheaper oil.
There was a time when India’s voice resonated globally. We were weaker, yet we did not hesitate to speak our mind. Now this unusual silence is painful. If we remain neutral in war, that is understandable, but why remain silent when someone is trying to humiliate us directly? Energy economist Dr. Anas Alhaji wrote, “Why does a great country like India need permission from President Trump to buy oil from Russia?…A very bad situation.” Chelsea Ngok Minh from the London School of Economics said, “The decline in India’s reputation over just a few months is extraordinary.”
Now U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has said, “We will not repeat the mistake with India that we did with China 20 years ago. We will not allow India’s market to develop so that India can surpass us.” This is a warning: the cat is out of the bag. Much is becoming clear. India faces the highest tariffs globally, even though China buys more Russian oil than we do. The U.S. wants to “manage” our rise so that, like China, we never become a major competitor. This also explains why they are supporting Pakistan so strongly. It also means that even if we chose one side in this war, that side did not choose us.
In Parliament, Foreign Minister Jaishankar spoke of “India’s deep concern” and peace, but what is new here? Why did the Foreign Minister not directly respond to the U.S. statement about Russian oil? Why did he not respond to the rudeness of the Deputy Secretary of State? The Iranian attack has caused chaos in the global economy. India now faces an LPG crisis. The most disappointing point is that Jaishankar’s statement in Parliament was under a rule that prevents the opposition from questioning him. How long will the government evade such questions?
Opposition to Trump’s policies has begun in Europe. Among the vocal critics is U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while the U.S. and U.K. remain close allies, yet fierce arguments are ongoing. The time has come for the world’s fourth-largest economy to reconsider its foreign policy direction. “Strategic silence” is sometimes appropriate, but not when our interests, sovereignty, and self-respect are under threat. We must raise our voice again. Regarding the U.S., the words of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger should be remembered: “Being America’s enemy may be dangerous, but being America’s friend is absolutely lethal.”
