The India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a “political project” that’s aimed at excluding regional stakeholders, a senior Iranian official mentioned right here. Speaking in a restricted media engagement on Tuesday (March 19, 2025), the official expressed frustration over the gradual tempo of India’s engagement at Chabahar and warned that Iran would think about it crossing of a “red line” if any a part of India’s IMEC-related collaboration with Israel had been to pose an “existential threat” to Iran.
“Corridors should be based on necessity, culture and history and not on geopolitical calculations. IMEC is a political project which excludes some parts of the region,” mentioned the official explaining what Iran thinks in regards to the connectivity undertaking that goals to attach India with Europe by means of Israeli ports and the United Arab Emirates. “Israel will be defeated. That is its destiny,” mentioned the Iranian official indicating the danger elements related to the IMEC.
The India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor was launched on the sideline of the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023 within the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S. President Joe Biden, President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
But the hall got here below a shadow after Israel bought concerned within the battle with Hamas after the October 7, 2023, assault on Israel by Hamas. Despite the battle India has made IMEC a a part of its current outreaches to the area as was evident in PM Modi’s newest journey to Paris and Marseilles the place French President Macron referred to Marseilles as a part of the hall that’s being deliberate to attach India to Europe.
The senior Iranian official additional cautioned that any cooperation with Israel could be thought-about crossing a “red line” if Tehran perceives such cooperation as posing an “existential threat” to Iran. However, he reminded that Iran will not be nervous in regards to the strategic implication of IMEC as it’s a part of the North-South Corridor undertaking that India is pursuing together with Russia and Central Asian international locations which additionally consists of the port of Chabahar. He defended the Houthis of Yemen who’re being bombed by the United States saying that the Houthis are victims of a sustained damaging media marketing campaign that’s projecting them as merciless and reckless. As an instance, he took the case of Nimisha Priya, the nurse from Kerala who reportedly obtained a loss of life sentence in Yemen however was spared the loss of life sentence at the final second.
He in contrast the Nimisha Priya case with the United Arab Emirates handing out capital punishment to 2 Indian nationals in February. “Brutal behaviour and torture are against Persian culture and we are totally against such executions but the duplicity is clear when the Houthis are criticised despite taking a considered position on the Indian nurse whereas two Indians were executed in under the UAE’s justice system,” he mentioned.
The Iranian official additionally indicated at Tehran’s discomfort over the rise of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) which is finishing up largescale assaults towards Pakistani navy and safety targets. The Baloch nationalists are recognized to be energetic additionally within the Sistan-Balochistan province of Iran that borders Pakistani Balochistan. “Affiliates of this group have spilled over already. We are monitoring BLA actively,” mentioned the official indicating that the BLA is likely one of the many challenges that face Iran. “We have fifteen neighbours and many of the U.S. military bases are near Iran. So we are aware of the challenges that we are facing,” mentioned the official explaining that Iran is open to discovering diplomatic answer to the stalemate that it faces with the U.S. “We are likely to send a response soon to the letter that the US sent us through the good offices of the United Arab Emirates.”
Published – March 19, 2025 11:28 pm IST
