By Arun Srivastava
Narendra Modi speech in Parliament on West Asia war on Monday sounded like that of a fugitive who lacked the courage and moral conviction to confront the truth. After 25 days assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Ali Hosseini Khamenei), following joint U.S.-Israeli air and missile strikes on February 28, 2026, Modi for the first time preferred to speak on the heightened conflict in West Asia.
He would not have spoken even on Monday if the LPG crisis has not deepened and security concern has not heightened. West Asia is a key route for India’s trade. Over 1 crore Indians live and work in Gulf nations. Due to these factors, PM opened his mouth and expressed his concern. Modi’s insensitivity towards the West Asian crisis could be understood from his refusal to condemn Israel’s missile attack on the very day of the war, in which 170 small school going girls were slaughtered.
It was beyond comprehension how could Narendra Modi, who is not tired of claiming Iran a best friend of India, behave in this unfriendly manner. It was the fear psychosis of Donald Trump’s reprisal that made him maintain a deafening silence. Modi who has been keeping away from parliament since Iran-US/Israel war, has come under global scrutiny for his insensitive posture. It was only for this compulsion that he rushed to the parliament and addressed on the escalating West Asia crisis, describing the situation as “worrisome” and emphasizing India’s efforts to ensure the safety of its nationals and maintain energy security.
Modi highlighted the “very adverse impact” on the global economy and India’s national interests, including shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, but did not identify the country which has been responsible for escalation of the crisis. Though he said India consistently advocated for dialogue and diplomacy, mentioning that he had personally engaged with various regional leaders to urge de-escalation, he refrained pointing out why US and Israel took the aggression to this height. If he was really concerned about the safety of approximately 10 million Indians in the Gulf region, he must have opened the channel with Iran long back. .
His appeal to the members of the house of a “united voice” from Parliament regarding the crisis, emphasizing that it poses serious economic, security, and humanitarian challenges, has little takers. Members are already split. The opposition is certainly not for supporting US-Israel attack on Iran, which has hundreds of years association with India. Opposition parties treat Donald’s US and Israel as main culprits for starting the war but BJP-RSS treat Israel as there close ally. There are major differences between the RSS/BJP and opposition parties.
One thing is clear that Indian PM cannot overcome the crisis by talking to Oman, Malaysia, France, Jordan, and Qatar to put forth India’s position and set in the process of de-escalation. Of course he also received a 45-minute briefing from the Iranian President on the situation, but for further progress in the matter he should have taken the Iranian leadership in confidence. Modi addressed the West Asia conflict in the Lok Sabha following a period of diplomatic back-channel negotiations and internal security assessments, but it is not certain how far this exercise will help India’s cause.
The government must urgently evaluate the conflict’s impact on India’s energy supplies and trade routes, particularly regarding oil and gas, as well as potential disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Modi must address the issue of Hormuz directly with the top Iranian leaders. If really India has adequate energy supplies to meet domestic needs, even as the war involving Iran poses unprecedented challenges for the country, the prices of the oil and LPG would not have shot up significantly. Even the prices of essential commodities would not have gone up. Already reports are making round that supplies of petrol, diesel and gas have been affected and ordinary households are facing difficulty.
Interestingly while Modi said that the situation is under control, in the same voice told the house that the war has created unprecedented economic, national security, and humanitarian pressures. Stating that he has personally spoken, in two rounds, with the heads of state of most of the West Asian countries, all of whom have given full assurance regarding the safety of Indians, Modi remarked, “Those who are injured are being ensured better medical treatment, and in such difficult circumstances, necessary assistance is being provided to the bereaved families.” He also informed the House that more than 3,75,000 Indians have safely returned to India since the war began, including approximately 1,000 Indians from Iran alone, of whom over 700 are young medical students.
Addressing the critical question of energy supply, Modi acknowledged that large quantities of crude oil, gas, fertilizers, and other essentials reach India through the Strait of Hormuz, and that shipping through the Strait has become highly challenging since the war. While he was emphatic that “dialogue and diplomacy are the only solutions” to the ongoing conflict, now in its third week, he however cautioned “India has opposed attacks on civilians and infrastructure linked to energy and transport. Attacks on commercial ships and blockage of the Strait of Hormuz are unacceptable”. His concern deserves appreciation, but it is quite obvious that his warning is directed to Iran, as it has blocked the Strait of Hormuz. Does it imply that Modi really intends to completely terminate India’s relation with Iran?
Modi detailed the government’s active engagement with global suppliers and its vigilant monitoring of the routes. It is not sure how far his dialogues with global partners to keep maritime corridors secure, would be feasible. Iran allowed only two ships that were stuck in the Strait of Hormuz to arrive in India some days back. A senior official in the Shipping Ministry said two Indian ships — Shivalik and Nanda Devi — carrying LPG from the Gulf countries crossed the Strait of Hormuz early on March 14. At least 22 ships on the west side of the strait are on standby as the Indian Government engages with governments in the region to ensure their safe passage. India imports 60% of its LPG needs, with 85-90% of this being sourced from Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which use the Strait of Hormuz as a transit for shipping oil and gas.
Though Modi reassured the House that India’s farmers have ensured adequate foodgrain stocks and that the government is working to facilitate proper Kharif sowing, reports reveal that fertilizer production has been severely impacted by the war in West Asia, with major producers in India and Bangladesh shutting down or slowing down urea factories due to a shortage of natural gas, a key raw material. The conflict has disrupted liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, leading to a supply squeeze that is pushing up global prices and threatening agricultural output. Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd. (IFFCO), a major urea producer, has halted some facilities or accelerated maintenance due to the lack of LNG supplies. India, world’s top importer of urea, may be forced to increase imports, creating higher demand and further increasing global prices. The decrease in fertilizer availability is expected to lead to lower crop yields and higher food prices in the future, increasing the risk of political unrest in some areas.
Modi spoke in details about the Indian priorities and the moves he was making, buts he did not touch five major questions and left them unanswered. Why it took India nearly a week to sign the condolence book maintained at the Iranian embassy in Delhi”? Even after a week instead of deputing a senior minister, the task was performed by Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary. This action was certainly against the basic essence of diplomacy.
At the Raisina Dialogue held in New Delhi, last week,, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau had made remarks regarding the future of India-US relations under President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy and openly said that the U.S. will not repeat the “mistake” it made with China 20 years ago by allowing another nation to develop its commercial markets and then challenge American economic dominance. He emphasized that trade arrangements will prioritize American national interests, stating, “I’m not here to do social work or charity… we’re going to make sure that any partnership is fair and benefits American interests”. PM made a mess of Iran policy due to this pressure from U.S. for submission. (IPA Service)
