The Indian Ocean carries the lifeblood of modern India’s economy. Ninety-five per cent of India’s maritime trade by volume flows through these waters, binding the nation to a complex network of shipping lanes, strategic straits, and critical chokepoints where a single disruption can send shockwaves through markets and energy supplies.

This reality forms the strategic backdrop to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Oman on December 17-18, a trip marking seven decades of diplomatic ties between two nations whose relationship predates modern statecraft by millennia.

With Houthi attacks disrupting shipping lanes, great power competition intensifying, and the vulnerability of chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz amplified by never-ending regional tensions, India has chosen a different path. It is one rooted in centuries of historical connection, commercial interdependence, and mutual understanding with nations like Oman and Jordan that serve as anchors for India’s West Asian engagement.

The Strait of Hormuz demands this attention first. Through this narrow waterway passes roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply daily. For India, which imports over 85 per cent of its crude oil, disruptions here translate directly into market uncertainty, reduced competitiveness for exporters, and economic strain that ripples across sectors. At a time when India’s growth story is finally beginning to boom after the Covid lull, New Delhi cannot afford to let West Asia’s fluidity hijack its own stability. A ten-dollar increase in crude prices widens India’s current account deficit by approximately 0.55 per cent of GDP. India has worked hard to keep inflation in check, and GDP growth has finally breached the 8% mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to sustain the momentum.

The Houthi attacks of the past two years have moved this vulnerability from the abstract to the immediate. The Iran-backed group, declaring itself part of an axis of resistance against Israel and the West, has repeatedly targeted commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea with missiles, drones, and explosive-laden boats. These are not sporadic........

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