The Indo-Iranian Gas Pipeline Project: A Strategic Perspective

Few people have been more closely related in origin and throughout history than the people of India and the people of Iran. These are the words of Jawahar Lal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India.1 India and Iran share centuries of close cultural and civilizational affinities. “Surrounded by mountains, Iran is, in reality, open on all sides, to the plains of Mesopotamia and Russia as well as to India and the Persian Gulf. As it was the hub on the great lines of communication which link East and West.”2 India and Iran have in the past influenced each other in fields of culture, art, architecture and language