India prepares for fallout from Iran nuclear deal
Arms race in the Arab world will be felt in India.
Indian newspapers generally echoed Western sentiments by welcoming the Iran deal and India’s Foreign Office also took a line similar to the one taken by the EU and other Western powers.
But behind the scenes, India is getting ready for the coming nuclear arms race in their Arab neighbourhood.
Far from buying President Obama’s optimism over the ‘peace dividend’, Indian defence establishment is building up its nuclear defence capabilities.
In recent months, India has invested heavily in ramping up missile defences. With Israeli expertise, India will soon be able to detect and intercept missiles within the range of 5,000 km – double the aerial distance between New Delhi and Tehran.
As President Obama was announcing the Iran deal to the world, Indian government was busy clearing new defence deals worth billions. Indian News website Firstpost reports:
India cleared the purchase of close to 300 billion rupees ($4.74 billion) worth of new defence equipment on Tuesday, including four maritime spy planes from Boeing Co and hundreds of air defence guns, a defence ministry spokesman said.
As nuclear deal brings a Shiite power within the reach of a nuclear bomb, India’s arch-rival Pakistan is set to become the main provider of nuclear technology and material to fellow Sunni-Arab nations.
President Obama doesn’t need to worry about Saudi Arabia starting its own nuclear program to meet the Iranian threat. No, the Saudis are going to buy an “off the shelf” nuclear bomb from Pakistan.
In 1998, when Sunni-majority Pakistan unveiled its nuclear bomb to the world, the country hailed it as an “Islamic Bomb” – not be wielded for mere “selfish” national interest but in the cause of pan-Islamism. With leading Shia-power Iran now inching closer to a nuclear bomb of its own, Pakistan is well placed to offer a turn-key nuclear option to Arab nations. The military in Pakistan will keep the civilian government out of these lucrative deals and the cash flow would predictably go to fund country’s Jihadist adventures in India and Afghanistan.
A rich and strong Iran would not only aid Assad in Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon, but strengthened Shia militias across the Islamic world – with flames reaching up to India’s door steps in Kashmir.
As it appears, Indian defence establishment is bracing up for the real “fallout” and “spill-over” of the Iran deal.
[Featured Image: Indian Prime Minister Modi and Iranian President Rouhani, via YouTube]
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(Vijeta Uniyal is an Indian journalist based in Europe and Senior Distinguished Fellow at Gatestone Institute)
(WAJ note: We are looking forward to more posts about India, the Indian diaspora, and the Israeli-Indian relationship from Vijeta.)
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…and so it begins.
The world will shuffle alignments and weaponry now, and grow more lethal and unstable.
“Joke’s on U.S.” “Iranians Laugh Out Loud at Nuke Deal” and Obama (Iranian President: “We sure made Obama do the pig.”)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/272538214927922743/
How’s that non-proliferation thingy working out for ya, Barry?
Everybody knows,
Everybody knows,
That’s how it goes,
. . . .
The Paki designs are not that good. Their test yields have been very low. What do you expect when you have a sloppy muslim “god willing” attitude about everything you do. Saudi may buy a Paki nuke or two, but I think they will come around and realize Israel is their best bet to crush Iran. Israel has no choice. It has to nuke Iran before it gets the bomb. Iran has almost 80 million people where Israel has only 7 million of which only about 5 million can be counted on. Israel needs fission and fusion as a necessary force multiplier. I believe that eventually the Saudis will fund Israel’s attack preparation. If you want something done right, get a Jew to do it.
I was with you until that last sentence.
As I recall, and I could be wrong, the Saudi’s bought an older mobile Surface-to-Surface missile system from China that could use both conventional and nuclear warheads. Although they bought it as a conventional system, the warheads were still stored in China, and one quick cargo flight (and electronic money transfer)later, the Saudi’s could easily have a salvo of nukes ready. Somewhat short ranged, dirty, and old, but far better than what they have now.
For a given value of ‘better,’ I suppose.
After several weeks in office, Obama won the Nobel peace prize, but then, so did Yasser Arafat a notorious terrorist.
In that case, it’s not defense against Iran, but against something else India is more deeply worried about: China.
Of course C to test out the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction: what actually happens if an atom bomb is used – but they would want some other country to go first.
What people say about Iran – that they might actually want to use an atomic bomb – is what people used to say about Red China when Mao ruled it, and which you get occasional hints from people in the Chinese military that they still think that way.