India does not have the luxury of “beds” in this region. We are not in a caravan serai. We are tied to the Gulf for energy, diaspora, and capital. That is undeniable. But to reduce our long-term position to a binary, Arab side versus Iran, is a misalignment of both geography and strategy. Iran is not peripheral to India. It sits at the hinge of our continental access, our connectivity ambitions, and our extended neighbourhood. We cannot wish it away because it is inconvenient in a crisis. Strategic autonomy is not about choosing the side with the larger balance sheet. It is about refusing false choices altogether. Yes, India must protect its citizens in the Gulf. Yes, it must secure energy flows. But it must also preserve a working relationship with Iran, not as a sentimental gesture, but as a strategic necessity. When India accepts that it must “back” one side in a complex regional conflict, it has already narrowed its own options. We are not an adjunct to anyone’s camp. We are a country with interests on all sides. The real test is whether we can hold that position without drifting into the comfort of alignment presented as pragmatism.