March 9, 2026
Source: Al Jazeera
On Feb. 28, israel and the United States began joint air attacks on Iran, starting a war based on disproven ‘allegations’ that Iran was developing nucleur weapons. These allegations were put forth by the United States, which, to date, remains the only country to have used nucleur weapons in warfare, and has zero moral standing to be making such accusations.
The war has killed thousands of Iranian civilians including hundreds of school children and the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Since then, israel has also conducted air strikes in Lebanon, killing hundreds and causing millions to evacuate and flee their homes. Israel has also ordered an on-ground invasion of Lebanon.
Days Leading Up to the War
Just a few days prior to the war, on Feb. 25 and 26, Modi visited israel and addressed the Knesset.
Source: indian PM’s Office
Al Jazeera reports that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and several other sources have confirmed that the US’s ‘pre-emptive’ first strike in Iran was because Israel had already planned to attack Iran. Does this mean that Modi was already informed about the upcoming war during his visit to israel?
Many prominent members of the international community have condemned the war in Iran. The International Atomic Energy Agency has stated that Iran had no structured program to build nuclear weapons. And the UN and world leaders like Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez have said that the attacks and the killing of a state sovereign breach international law. Congress has also claimed that it did not approve the war when it began.
In the midst of this, india’s silence was deafening.
Then, a few days later, the US torpedoed an Iranian navy vessel in international waters, killing dozens. The ship had just left india after attending an event at New Delhi’s invitation and was sailing home unarmed when it was attacked during the US-israel war on Iran.
This made it clear. india was not silent. It was complicit in US-israeli war in Iran.
Not Silent But Complicit
In his address, Modi condemned the Palestinian resistance and sympathized with israel’s right to defend itself. He said that indians seen israel as ‘the fatherland’ and india as ‘the motherland.’
“We feel your pain, we share your grief. india stands with israel firmly with full conviction in this moment and beyond,” Modi said.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, thousands broke out in protest in Kashmir in solidarity and mourning with the Iranian people.
These were met with police brutality, barricades, curfews and restrictions. Over 120 people were detained for expressing solidarity with Iran.
Economic Opportunities
india has been warming up for a confrontation like this for years. Its economic interests lie in allying itself with the American-israeli colonial project. Just as it profited off the genocide in Gaza, india has shown intention to profit of the brutalities in Iran too.
With the Strait of Hormuz blocked and oil scarce, india is already trying to make its claim on resources. The Middle East Eye reports that, a week ago, the US gave india a 30-day waiver to purchase Russian oil.
It was also reported that in early 2026, india stepped away from the Chabahar Port in Iran, a maritime hub which links Afghanistan and india, after facing American pressure, indicating that india was already making arrangements for taking America’s side in a war against Iran.
Source: AI Impact Summit
Moreover, india has also expressed an interest in cashing in on AI’s profitability in warfare and surveillance. From Feb. 16 to Feb. 21, india hosted the AI Impact Summit. It was inaugurated by Modi and was attended by various political figures, tech executives and journalists.
Some of the key figures in were French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, along with tech executives including Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai and Microsoft President Brad Smith.
The summit yielded several strategic gains for india. Knowing india’s history as one of America and israel’s biggest defense partners, this is a scary development.
The summit resulted in india’s two biggest conglomerates, Reliance and Adani, pledging a combined $210 billion in investment in domestic AI and data infrastructure. Both these companies have and continue to supply, invest and partner with israeli defense firms. OpenAI, signed a partnership deal with the Mumbai-based Tata Group. OpenAI also recently signed a deal with the US military that includes mass civilian surveillance of Americans, whereas the Tata Group has repeatedly profited off the Gaza genocide.
Anthropic also announced a deal with Infosys and opened an office in Bangalore. Anthropic’s Claude AI has been accused of being used to bomb Iran, and without any human verification.
As india promotes itself as a global technology powerhouse and a leader in AI for the Global South, the reality in Kashmir tells a different story: pervasive digital surveillance and recurring internet restrictions, including reduced internet speeds and AI drones being used for facial recognition just days ago after Kashmiris took to the streets in protest against the war in Iran.
Holy War
The American and israeli governments continue to frame the war in Iran as a holy war. An American officer claimed his commander had told their unit that Trump “has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth”.
As ridiculous as it seems, india has been relying on such rhetoric long before the Trump administration. This mutual philosophy is one of the primary reasons why india finds itself inspired by the US and israel. The Hindutva preach an Akhand Bharat (Undvided india) containing all of South Asia under a Hindu civilization. They use the same rhetoric in their colonial conquest and forced demographic change in Kashmir.
That is why Modi’s support for US-israel’s genocidal campaign in Palestine, and now Iran, comes as no surprise. india is one of the largest suppliers of the israeli military and has had a long-standing strategic partnership with its sister settler state. Since before and after Oct. 2023, india supplied labour, arms, and diplomatic support to israel.
Moreover, india sees israel as a role model. india has replicated israel like technologies of rule and colonialism in Kashmir. It has committed extra-judicial killings, mass detentions, surveillance campaigns, and home demolitions. In fact, many indian officials and intellectuals have called for an ‘israel-like solution’ to Kashmir.
It is crystal clear that the two settler states india and israel are working together to advance their tech industries and share strategies for suppressing its colonized populations in Kashmir and Palestine, and now in Iran and Lebanon.
Given the lack of global reaction, india which already operates in Kashmir with impunity, will only feel emboldened by the actions of its allies and the silence of the international community against its own complicity. All this signals extremely frightening developments for Kashmir, as well as the rest of the world.
Stay in touch with Stand with Kashmir.
Stand With Kashmir (SWK) is a Kashmiri-driven independent, transnational, grassroots movement committed to standing in solidarity with the people of indian-occupied Kashmir in ending the indian occupation of their homeland and supporting the right to self-determination of the pre-partition state of Jammu and Kashmir. We want to hear from you. If you have general inquiries, suggestions, or concerns, please email us at info@standwithkashmir.org.
Leave a Reply