Israel-Iran Conflict Raises Concerns for India's Connectivity Strategy

Israel Iran Attack: Israel attacked Iran on Saturday (February 28). Israel attacked several cities along with Tehran, the capital of Iran. However, Iran did not delay in retaliating. Iran fired missiles at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel. Iran attacked not only Israel but US bases in 8 countries close to the US. The military attack between Israel and Iran and the sanctions on Tehran have also raised concerns for India. Experts believe that India can rethink its connectivity strategy amid rising tensions in the Middle East and focus more on the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC). But India is unlikely to give up its interests in Chabahar. In fact, this recent development between Israel and Iran has created new uncertainty in India's 10-year-old partnership in Chabahar. It is believed that this partnership could prove to be a vital gateway for New Delhi to bypass Pakistan and reach Central Asia. Diplomats in India do not rule out the possibility of India adopting a tough stance.