India's measured response to the escalating West Asia crisis has drawn praise from Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who portrays restraint as a hallmark of strength in turbulent times.

Speaking to ANI on 20 March 2026, Tharoor characterised New Delhi's diplomatic posture as "responsible statecraft," arguing that it underscores a clear grasp of national interests.

"Restraint is not surrender. Restraint is strength," he asserted, emphasising that judicious action prioritises India's core objectives amid the volatile conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.

Tharoor suggested India ought to have issued condolences sooner after the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, distinguishing this from outright condemnation.

"Condolence is an expression of sympathy," he clarified, advocating a balanced approach that maintains caution without alienating key regional players.

The crisis, he warned, carries profound economic ramifications, particularly for India's energy security.

Disruptions to oil and gas supplies have already bitten hard, with shipments arriving only in meagre instalments.

Shortages of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are disrupting everyday life across the country, Tharoor noted.

Crude oil prices have surged dramatically—from approximately $64 per barrel at the conflict's outset to between $100 and $120—threatening to unleash rampant inflation. This petrol-driven inflation will ripple through the economy, inflating costs across sectors from transport to manufacturing.

Tharoor questioned the strategic coherence of the ongoing military operations, lamenting the absence of a defined endgame.

"We don't know exactly what the desired end point is," he remarked, expressing a desire for some discernible "strategic logic" behind the assaults.

He called on nations like India to step up diplomatically, initiating peace overtures that offer both sides a dignified exit.

"What many countries like us ought to be doing is to actually take an initiative to call for peace, to give both sides a ladder to climb down," Tharoor urged.

The MP voiced alarm over the erosion of international law and institutions, observing that raw power now overrides legal norms.

"What we're seeing is that power is taming law—that is a recipe for the law of the jungle," he cautioned.

Escalatory strikes on energy infrastructure in the region risk catastrophic fallout, potentially crippling post-conflict recovery.

"They can't destroy each other so comprehensively that they will not be able to pick themselves up after the war," Tharoor stressed.

India, he acknowledged, faces constrained choices in this quagmire, much like other import-dependent economies.

"At the bottom line, we are caught over a barrel, as are many other countries," he conceded.

Yet diversification of energy sources and sustained diplomatic engagement remain vital countermeasures.

Tharoor's intervention highlights India's delicate balancing act in West Asia, where economic imperatives clash with geopolitical flux. His remarks arrive against a backdrop of heightened Middle East tensions, marked by military escalations and fears over vital supply routes.

ANI