Despite deep-rooted historical and cultural ties, Iran-India relations remain politically sound but economically weak, according to Dr. Seyed Emamian, Assistant Professor at Tehran Polytechnic University and co-founder of Iran’s Governance and Policy think tank.
Speaking to StratNews Global on the sidelines of the 10th Raisina Dialogue, the flagship annual event of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation, Dr. Emamian expressed concern over the sharp decline in bilateral trade, particularly after India halted oil imports from Iran due to U.S. sanctions. He criticized India’s “over-compliance” with U.S. pressures, contrasting it with its ability to negotiate oil purchases from Russia despite similar restrictions.
He also highlighted the untapped potential for military and security cooperation between Iran and India, given India’s evolving defence partnerships with the U.S. and Russia.
On U.S. sanctions, Dr. Emamian acknowledged their impact on Iran’s economy but noted that Iranians have developed resilience over four decades of restrictions. He suggested that a potential second Trump administration could be both an opportunity and a challenge, depending on its policy direction.
Beyond economic and political ties, Dr. Emamian stressed the need for greater people-to-people connections, academic collaborations, and intellectual exchanges between India and Iran, particularly to bridge the gap between younger generations in both nations.
Watch the full interview to get a perspective on Indo-Iranian ties through the eyes of a Iranian academic who believes the two countries are getting a bit frayed at the edges
In a career spanning three decades and counting, Ramananda (Ram to his friends) has been the foreign editor of The Telegraph, Outlook Magazine and the New Indian Express. He helped set up rediff.com’s editorial operations in San Jose and New York, helmed sify.com, and was the founder editor of India.com.
His work has featured in national and international publications like the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, Global Times and Ashahi Shimbun. But his one constant over all these years, he says, has been the attempt to understand rising India’s place in the world.
He can rustle up a mean salad, his oil-less pepper chicken is to die for, and all it takes is some beer and rhythm and blues to rock his soul.
Talk to him about foreign and strategic affairs, media, South Asia, China, and of course India.
