Iran-Israel Tensions: Iran and Israel are two countries of the Middle East, between which the history of tension and conflict is very old. There was a continuous war of words between the two regarding Israeli bombing in Gaza. However, when seven military officers were killed in an Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus on April 1, Iran’s patience ran out. In retaliation, Iran attacked Israel on Saturday (April 13).
The Israeli Army said that the country was attacked late Saturday night. Hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles were fired from Iran. However, Israel said that 99 percent of the more than 300 drones and missiles fired at it were destroyed in the air. At the same time, Iran’s ‘Islamic Revolution Guard Corps’ (IRGC) said that the attack was carried out by targeting specific targets.
At the same time, the whole world including India is worried due to this turmoil in the Middle East. In such a situation, let us try to understand what effect the ongoing tension between Iran and Israel will have on India. What impact is this going to have on the global economy and what has been the history of relations between the two countries?
What has been the history of Iran-Israel relations?
The two countries of the Middle East are often called each other’s staunch enemies. The issue of Palestine has been at the center of this hostility for decades. However, very few people know that Iran was among the few countries in the world which first recognized Israel. However, the situation changed with time and Iran and Israel, which were once friends, later became each other’s ‘bloodthirsty’. The situation has become such that now both are standing on the brink of war.
Relations between the two countries remained very cordial under the Pahlavi dynasty, which ruled Iran from 1925 to 1979. Iran was the second Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel after its establishment in 1948. However, relations began to deteriorate in 1951 under the government of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, but a coup in 1953 showed them the way out. In his place, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, a supporter of western countries, was put on the chair of the country.
Relations between the two countries were so cordial that Israel even opened an embassy in Tehran. In the 1970s, both countries also had ambassadors to each other. Trade relations were also increasing and Iran was also exporting oil to Israel. Iran had also established a pipeline to transport oil to Israel and then to Europe. Defense and security cooperation was also taking place between the two countries. However, then the situation started changing and conflict started between the two.
Islamic revolution changed the relationship
In fact, after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Shah Pahlavi was ousted from power and the Islamic Republic of Iran was born. The leader of the revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khamenei, came up with an idea in which the Islamic viewpoint was promoted in the country. Relations with Western countries were severed and a call was made to stand up for the Palestinians. By then the world also knew about the action being taken against Palestinians through Israel.
Iran broke all relations with Israel citing atrocities against Palestinians. Citizens of both countries could no longer travel to each other’s countries. The Israeli embassy in Tehran was converted into the Palestinian embassy. Iran started showing itself standing with the Palestinians, due to which enmity with Israel increased. He also started attacking Israel through countries like Lebanon and Syria. It was from here that the relationship started deteriorating.
What will be the impact of Iran-Israel tension on India?
At the same time, the impact of the clash between Iran and Israel is going to be visible on India also. India has good relations with both the countries. This is the reason why after Iran’s attacks, India immediately issued a statement asking both sides to maintain peace. India said that we are concerned about the increasing hostility between the two countries. We urge Iran and Israel to immediately reduce tensions, exercise restraint, refrain from violence and return to the path of diplomacy.
Around 10 thousand Indian citizens live in Iran, while their number in Israel is around 18 thousand. But if a large-scale war breaks out here, it will be a big problem for India. Millions of Indian citizens live in Gulf countries. The biggest challenge will be to take them all out in a war situation. A big concern of New Delhi is that it has invested a lot in infrastructure in the Gulf countries, which is under threat from war.
The focus of Delhi-Tehran relations over the past few years has been the development of the Chabahar port, located just 200 km from the China-funded Gwadar port in Pakistan. In case of war, it will be difficult for India to operate Chabahar Port. At the same time, ‘International North South Transport Corridor’ (INSTC) has once again come into discussion, which is the main trade route for India-Russia. Due to the war, trade through this route will be affected.
Through INSTC, trade can be done with Central Asia and Russia via Iran. This is a cheaper and more economical route than the Suez Canal route. Not only this, but due to war between these two countries, oil prices may increase. This will have a direct impact on India, because it exports oil from Iran. The war will disrupt the supply of oil and increase prices. Due to this, inflation may increase in India.
What will be the impact of Iran-Israel war on the world?
The rest of the world is also worried about the conflict between the two countries. The biggest reason for this is the supply of oil from Gulf countries. The world is worried that if war breaks out on a large scale, oil prices will skyrocket. With the possibility of war, oil prices have reached their highest level in six months. If there is a large-scale war, oil prices will exceed $ 100 per barrel.
This war can bring great devastation to the world economy which is facing economic slowdown. The economy of the world is largely based on oil, which means that increase in prices will lead to inflation.
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