Introduction
According to historians, the relationship between India and Iran has endured for several millennia. The historical, cultural, economic, and political ties between them in ancient times paved the way for their interactions in modern times. The late Indian Prime Minister, Nehru, once remarked that “the people of these two nations had been closely related in origin and throughout history.”1 India sought to establish good relations with Iran after gaining independence from Pakistan. However, these relations were impacted by the Cold War’s superpower rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Iran’s participation in the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) and its proximity to Pakistan led to its portrayal as a country with anti-Indian tendencies. Despite the Iranian Revolution of 1979, bilateral relations between the two countries remained unchanged, as they were still influenced by the Cold War and the strategic competition between the two superpowers.
However, in the aftermath of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, regions that were previously under the influence of the superpowers’ strategic competition gained relative independence, leading to the emergence of regional powers. These powers aim to maintain supremacy in their respective regions while extending their influence in other regions. India and Iran, two prominent regional powers in South Asia and the Middle East, have endeavored to exert this policy and establish a tangible presence in the neighboring region, Central Asia. Since then, the leaders of these two countries have declared their desire to be present in Central Asia. The leaders of India and Iran, harnessing their domestic capabilities and aligning their national strategies, initiated crucial joint infrastructural cooperation, such as the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), with the ultimate aim of expanding their influence in this region. However, why have these two countries not achieved this goal so far?
