Delhi watches 'multi‑alignment'
India is publicly practicing a ‘calibrated multi‑alignment’ as Tehran’s 4,000 km missile reach and regional moves are said to threaten bases like Diego Garcia — forcing New Delhi to reassess energy lifelines and Chabahar port uncertainty ( ). Commentators say the West Asia war is exposing neighborhood fragility and could pressure New Delhi on Pakistan‑Afghanistan border dynamics (x.com).
On March 19, 2026, New Delhi ordered oil and gas companies to submit details on exports, imports and inventories to the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell to enable targeted interventions amid supply shocks. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) A Lok Sabha parliamentary committee reported that India has spent Rs 900 crore on the Chabahar project to date, with Rs 100 crore initially allocated for 2025‑26 later revised to Rs 400 crore, and it flagged the project’s future after the U.S. sanctions waiver lapsed on Sept 29, 2025 and was conditionally extended to Apr 26, 2026. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) India fulfilled a $120 million equipment commitment under the 2024 10‑year Chabahar agreement, but analysts say withdrawals by insurers, banks and shippers have hollowed out the port’s commercial case. (maritimetechnologyreview.com) U.S. officials cited by reporting said Tehran launched two intermediate‑range ballistic missiles toward a U.S.-U.K. base in the central Indian Ocean, with one missile failing in flight and a U.S. warship reportedly firing an SM‑3 interceptor. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The Hindu calculated about 25 million South Asians work in West Asia — roughly 10 million Indians among them — and documented disruptions to fuel, fertiliser, trade and merchant‑seafarer safety as the conflict spread. (thehindu.com) Reporting from the Af‑Pak front notes that after Islamabad declared "open war" in February 2026 New Delhi has retained a technical mission in Kabul and allocated Rs 150 crore for humanitarian assistance in the 2026‑27 budget. (news18.com) Analysts writing in The Diplomat put India‑Iran trade at $1.68 billion in 2024‑25 (with $1.24 billion of Indian exports) and warned that U.S. tariff moves announced in January 2026 complicate New Delhi’s ability to balance ties across competing partners. (thediplomat.com)
