Iran has accused India of using its territory for covert operations with Israeli intelligence, straining bilateral ties and regional stability.

The current turmoil across the Middle East has cast a harsh light on India’s growing role in foreign espionage—this time, within Iran’s borders. A recent operation by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps near the strategic Chabahar Port resulted in the arrest of 141 individuals linked to Israel’s Mossad, including an astonishing 121 Indian nationals. This was no isolated incident. Just weeks earlier, another 72 Indian citizens had been apprehended in connection with the ongoing conflict, underscoring a disturbing pattern: India’s covert activities are no longer confined to Pakistan but now appear to reach deep into Iranian territory.

The seizure of encrypted communications devices, high-grade surveillance equipment, and evidence of ties to groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) marks a turning point in Tehran–New Delhi relations. These disclosures challenge India’s long-claimed doctrine of strategic autonomy, which increasingly seems to converge with the interests of extra-regional intelligence agencies, chief among them, Mossad. For Tehran, the revelations raise uncomfortable questions: Has Iran’s economic partnership with India been co-opted for covert operations? More broadly, does India’s entanglement with Western and Israeli intelligence threaten the fragile security architecture of the region?

The detention of Indian operatives on Iranian soil is not merely a diplomatic embarrassment—it is a blatant affront to Iranian sovereignty. The exposure of “Project Gidon-Esha,” a clandestine effort allegedly aimed at destabilizing Balochistan, introduces a troubling new variable into the region’s strategic landscape. Iranian intelligence reportedly uncovered extensive RAW operations, including illicit financial networks, arms trafficking, and cyber sabotage—all allegedly conducted from facilities in Iran. Mumbai-based shell companies have been implicated in funneling funds to BYC-linked militants, signaling a calculated double game that erodes bilateral trust and strains international norms.

Consider the case of Rajesh Singh. He allegedly exported $3.2 million under the guise of a tech entrepreneur, one node in a covert financial pipeline thought to destabilize Iran and Pakistan alike. With suspected coordination from Mossad, these shell operations suggest a deeper geopolitical realignment: India’s strategic interests increasingly appear to mirror those of Israel. For Tehran, this development is not just disconcerting—it’s an existential threat to its strategic depth and autonomy.

The port city of Chabahar—a key linchpin in Iran’s geoeconomic strategy—is now at the center of this emerging nexus. What was once heralded as a symbol of Indo-Iranian cooperation is increasingly viewed through a dual-use lens: a site for trade, yes, but also a potential launchpad for surveillance and subversion. With India having invested over $85 million in its development, Iran now finds itself weighing the economic benefits of engagement against a rising geopolitical cost.

These revelations force a reassessment in Tehran. India’s ostensible embrace of economic cooperation, cloaked in clandestine maneuvering with Western and Israeli intelligence, paints a portrait of strategic duplicity. If these backchannel activities persist, Iran not only risks losing a measure of its territorial integrity but also its influence over the very regional architecture it helped shape.

Looking ahead, Tehran must recalibrate its diplomatic bearings. Reliance on transactional partnerships—particularly those vulnerable to foreign manipulation—may no longer serve its national interests. What is required instead is a renewed emphasis on sovereign alliances rooted in mutual respect, strategic balance, and regional dignity. Only by fortifying its multipolar engagements and resisting covert incursions into its sphere of influence can Iran hope to preserve its autonomy and restore a semblance of order in a region once again on the brink of chaos.