Listen | 'India’s Iran-US/Israel Strategy Has Fallen Apart, We've Got Ourselves in a Mess'

The war between Iran and the US-Israel combine is in its third week and shows no sign of abating, much less stopping. But Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, one of India’s best known experts on West Asia, feels there is room for the US to “declare victory and go ahead with dialogue”.

“All the premier personalities (in Iran) have been eliminated in ruthless bombardment. All the military facilities have been eliminated. There are no air defences. Luring the Gulf countries on the side of the United States does not seem like a viable option,” he said in a podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia. “There is nothing more dramatic to be obtained in this utterly futile conflict.”

He said that Iran was a “pragmatic state” and while its demand for reparations was “legitimate” all that would be discussed in negotiations. “As far as Israel is concerned, they enjoy the spectacle of conflict,” he said.

“They like the idea of promoting instability and insecurity in the region. What they cannot do is accept casualties and they have not yet sustained any serious casualties. But I would say to you very categorically, I don't think Israel can fight for a day if the United States is not in the frame.”

As far as India was concerned, Ahmad said, the establishment viewed Israel as “a model of a strong and brave state in the region, particularly a state that is willing to use firepower against the large Muslim community in the region. I think the prime minister himself is guided by this sentiment”.

But “the ground reality is that in this conflict, you should not be choosing sides. You should be working with all the countries in the region”.

“We have systematically distanced ourselves from Iran” and in the middle of a conflict, “our watchword should be strategic ambiguity. We have got ourselves in a mess.”

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