No need for India to take a leaf out of Pakistan’s Iran mediation book, says envoy

Rejecting comparisons between India’s role on the world stage and Pakistan’s recent mediation efforts in the Iran crisis, Ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami said on Saturday (July 4, 2026) that New Delhi’s involvement in an already crowded field would not have particularly benefited India.

“The question about mediation that you’re talking about, this is for individual countries to decide whether that adds value to their larger national position. We have done our bit of that in the past. I don’t see how, at this point of time in what is already a crowded field, that would benefit us in any particular way,” he said at the World Peace Forum in Beijing, an annual foreign policy event hosted by Tsinghua University, speaking in response to a question on Pakistan’s mediation in the Iran crisis and India’s broader global leadership aspirations.

Mr. Doraiswami pointed out that India and China, as two major powers, had both not offered their services to mediate whether in Ukraine or Iran, and added it was unfair to compare India with Pakistan considering, for instance, their different economic sizes or India’s broader integration with the world.

“As far as I see it, our position in recent crises, both in West Asia and even in Eastern Europe, has been quite similar to that of China. I don’t see China or India actually stepping forward to offer mediatory services in either of these two matters. And quite frankly, I think the comparison with Pakistan, if I might be a little direct, is a little unfair to us. I think the economies of the two countries will tell you a lot. It is up to that country to decide what it chooses to do in the region. I don’t see why we should follow a leaf from their book,” he said.

“About what more could India do in terms of global leadership, we should look at countries according to what they are actually doing in the larger global system,” he added. “Our integration with the globe is at a level not matched by most countries. This includes our economic integration with European countries, with ASEAN countries, and our willingness to contribute to larger questions of peace and security. We’re willing to do all of this.”