Iran is Strategically Less Important than UAE and Suadi Arabia for India

Every country in the world strives to maintain good relations with almost all countries, just as we strive to maintain good relations with our neighbors and relatives. However, when it comes to protecting interests and choosing partners among many, a country strives to maintain good relations with the country with which it has the greatest interest. A country that provides the lowest value is not significant and receives the last preference. India has relations with almost all the Middle East countries based on people migration and mutual trade.

Let's first talk about people. According to the Overseas Indians data of the Ministry of External Affairs of India, a large number of Indian citizens live and work in the Gulf and surrounding countries. This total number reaches around 9 million. Currently, the largest number of Indians are in the United Arab Emirates, with approximately 3,554,274. This is followed by Saudi Arabia, with 2,460,603 Indians. There are 9,93,284 Indians settled in Kuwait, 8,35,175 in Qatar and 3,23,908 in Bahrain. 6,84,771 Indians live in Oman. There are about 20,000 Indians in Israel. 16,897 Indian citizens live in Jordan, 17,100 in Iraq and 10,320 in Iran. Around 3,000 Indian citizens are registered in Lebanon, 3,141 in Egypt, 700 in Yemen, 97 in Syria and 11 in Palestine.

If we talk about India's trade with the countries of the Middle East, then India's bilateral trade with the Middle East is worth about 210 billion dollars, with the following details:

Saudi Arabia - $11.7 billion

United Arab Emirates (UAE) - $100.06 billion

Kuwait - $10.22 billion

Qatar - $14.15 billion

Oman - $10.5 billion

Bahrain - $1.85 billion

Iraq - $60.86 billion

Jordan - $2.2 billion

Iran - $1.68 billion

Remittances from foreign countries are of great importance to the Indian economy. Approximately 38 per cent of total remittances to India come from the Middle East Countries, with the majority coming from the UAE and Saudi Arabia. India receives approximately $135 billion in remittances from foreign countries, of which approximately $50 billion comes from Middle East Countries. Approximately $30 billion in remittances come to India from the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, these two countries are investing approximately $300 billion in India by 2032. India buys most of its oil from these countries. Not only this, but these countries also have the highest demand for Indian goods (excluding Basmati rice) in this region. Therefore, these countries are crucial to the Indian economy.

Currently, our bilateral trade with Iran is only $1.68 billion. Iran hardly contributes significantly to India's remittances and long-term investments. Meanwhile, Iran is attacking those countries with which India has trade of approximately $205 billion, remittances of approximately $50 billion and investments of approximately $300 billion. Thus, Indian interests are completely tilted in favor of the countries which are being attacked by Iran. Therefore, it is natural for India to side with these countries rather than Iran.

Dr Rajeev Kumar Upadhyay