PM Modi visit to Iran will be a game changer in the region

By Vaibhavi Dhotre

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Iran has been a huge success with signing of several agreements.

After successfully developing relations with Afghanistan and UAE, Modi has extended a hand of friendship with Iran.

The most important outcome of the meeting has been the Chabahar port project on the south-eastern coast of Iran.

Chabahar port project seems as a competitor to the China-backed Gwadar port in Pakistan. Pakistan does not allow transport of good from India into Afghanistan through its territories. The Chabahar port in Iran was partially built by India in 1990s to provide access to Afghanistan and other Asian countries bypassing Pakistan. But the fact it has taken more than a decade for India to begin work on Chabahar reveals deep rooted internal constrains on India’s regional economic strategy. In 1991 there was a breakdown in the old economic policy of India, which sighted external support for India’s rapid economic development, normalize relations with neighbours.

There were certainly many problems in constructing a new domestic political consensus in the reform era. In the cold war era relations between India and Iran suffered due to political issues. Non-aligned India fostered strong military links to support Soviet Union while Iran enjoyed close ties with United States. However Iran’s continuous support to Pakistan and India’s support to Iraq during the Iran-Iraq conflict impeded the development of Indo-Iranian ties. Further India expressed a strong negotiation against Iran’s nuclear program. Ever since India and United States began to transform their ties by changing the global nuclear order to accommodate India with 2005 framework for the Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear agreement, Iran has become a litmus test that India has occasionally been asked to pass to satisfy US policymakers. India had also been asked to prove its loyalty to the United States by lining up behind Washington at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the question of Iran’s nuclear program. The real challenge in India’s engagement with Iran was not about holding up the high principles of strategic autonomy but on effectively navigating the international complexities surrounding economic and energy ties and seizing upon the few opportunities that were available for building a partnership under adverse conditions. The international circumstances as well as India’s internal problems contributed to the difficulties in establishment of friendly bonds between the two countries.

The triumphant launch of Chabahar project allows India to establish a trade route bypassing Pakistan to cut the custom dues and time for Indian goods by a third, it will also setup India’s road access to four cities in Afghanistan. It will be the first overseas venture for an Indian state owned port. The Chabahar project seems commence the shutdown process of those earlier gaps developed between the two countries.

(Vaibhavi Dhotre is a law student from ILS Law College.)