As Narendra Modi visited Iran in May, and completed a five nation tour (Aghanistan, Qatar, USA, Switzerland, Mexico) in June, CPR faculty analyse what these visits mean, with a special focus on Iran and the US:

G Parthasarathy writes in the New Indian Express that in signing the Chabahar deal with Iran, allowing India access to West and Central Asia through the Iranian port of Chabahar, Mr Modi has marked an important milestone in building a partnership with Iran, bypassing Pakistan. While this is a positive signal, India cannot take anything for granted, and must build on this beginning in the coming months.
In the Takeaway from Tehran, Srinath Raghavan similarly writes that the recent visit by Mr Modi may have given India another opportunity to craft a strategic relationship with Iran, and increase its influence on West Asia, but the challenge lies in the delivery.
In When will the U.S. accommodate India’s strategic interests?, Brahma Chellaney writes that despite the symbolism of warming ties between India and the US, India’s strategic interests are yet to be accommodated by the US, including India’s inclusion in the NSG, where China has emerged as the main political opponent. In spite of promising to facilitate India’s admission in the NSG, the US has invested little political capital in furthering this.
In India & US: aligning rhetoric & reality, Shyam Saran analyses the various dimensions of Mr Modi’s visit to the US, and asserts that the compelling logic of a strategic Indo-US partnership will endure in a complex and uncertain world, even if the trajectory of the expected outcomes may vary.
Srinath Raghavan too analyses the implications of Mr Modi’s visit to the US and the joint statement released, writing in The Wire that even though Modi ‘has gone further than any previous prime minister in positioning India in the strategic orbit of the US’, India continues to remain the weaker player, and has failed to factor in the likely reactions of adversaries like China.
In Embracing Washington comes with a price, Bharat Karnad also deconstructs Modi’s U.S. policy at various levels, writing that ultimately even as Western leaders will be friendly, they will advance their own national interests, leaving ‘India to wax eloquent about shared democratic values’.