Dr M Ali Hamza
The assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists and military leaders, widely attributed to Israel, suggests deep intelligence leaks within Iran’s security apparatus. Iran’s recent executions of alleged spies confirm internal breaches. While no direct evidence links India to these leaks, Iran’s growing distrust of foreign allies including those having strong ties with Israel, suggests vulnerabilities exploited by Israel. Let’s establish the case.
India has been using Iranian territory to conduct espionage and sabotage operations against Pakistan, particularly in the restive province of Balochistan. One of the most high-profile cases involves Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer arrested in Balochistan in 2016 after illegally entering from Iran.
Jadhav confessed to running an Indian spy network from Chabahar, Iran, tasked with destabilizing Pakistan through sabotage, funding separatists, and gathering intelligence on military installations. Jadhav admitted to operating under India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) from Iran, where he established a business as cover.
His activities included recruiting Baloch insurgents and planning attacks on Pakistani infrastructure. In 2025, Pakistan detained another alleged Indian spy, Chakarwedi, near the Iran border. Like Jadhav, he reportedly used Iranian soil to orchestrate covert operations against Pakistan. While India denies these claims, the pattern of arrests and intelligence reports suggests a sustained covert campaign aimed at undermining Pakistan’s security.
It can be reasonably inferred that RAW has established an intelligence network in Iranapparently targeting Pakistan, but likely also gathering sensitive information about Iran and its strategic facilities. Over the past two decades, India’s foreign policy in West Asia has shifted considerably, with a marked deepening of ties with Israel and a more cautious transactional approach toward Iran.
Historically, India managed a careful balance between the two, but its growing strategic, military, and technological alignment with Israel combined with Iran’s increasing isolation under US sanctions and its pivot toward China has fuelled speculation that New Delhi may be sharing intelligence about Tehran with Tel Aviv. What fuels this speculation is the convergence of geopolitical interests and the visible tilt in India’s alliances, raising legitimate concerns about the scope and targets of its intelligence operations in the region.
India and Israel have developed a defence partnership, with Israel emerging as India’s second-largest arms supplier after Russia and India is Israel’s largest weapons buyer. Moreover, Al Jazeera’s investigative report revealed that Indian weapons firms also sold Israel rockets and explosives during the war in Gaza. The relationship extends beyond hardware sales to include joint operations, cyber security collaboration, and intelligence-sharing. Reports suggest that India’s RAW and Israel’s Mossad have a history of intelligence exchanges. Given Mossad’s extensive operations inside Iran, including assassinations of nuclear scientists and sabotage of facilities, it is plausible that India, with its diplomatic presence in Tehran, could provide supplementary intelligence. There are additional reasons that make this case more probable.
Both India and Israel view Iran-backed proxies; e.g., Hamas, Hezbollah, as security threats. India’s concerns about Iran’s influence in Afghanistan via the Taliban and Pakistan via Shia groups align with Israel’s broader regional confrontations with Tehran. India’s reliance on Iranian oil has diminished due to US sanctions, while its investments in Iran’s Chabahar Port have faced delays. Meanwhile, Israel has become indispensable for India’s defence modernization, supplying drones, missile systems, and surveillance technology used in conflicts like the 2019 Balakot airstrike as well as post Pahlgam war with Pakistan, this year.While Iran was once a critical oil supplier, India has diversified its energy imports. In contrast, Israel provides cutting-edge military tech that India cannot easily replace, incentivizing closer alignment.Iran’s growing partnership with China: including a 25-year strategic pact, and Russia has reduced its strategic value for India, which increasingly sees Israel and the US as more reliable partners. Moreover, India has distanced itself from a statement issued by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) condemning Israeli airstrikes on Iranian territory. Indian Ministry of External Affairs saying it did not take part in the discussions that led to the joint remarks.
India’s large diaspora and trade ties with Iran could inadvertently facilitate intelligence gathering. Israeli operatives may leverage Indian businesses or contacts for information even without New Delhi’s explicit approval.Israel has a history of recruiting local assets in Iran, including through cyber-espionage and smuggling networks. If Indian nationals; e.g., traders, diplomats, were unknowingly used as sources, it could explain leaks without official complicity.Iran has executed alleged Mossad spies and cracked down on suspected infiltrators, reflecting paranoia about foreign intelligence penetration. While Tehran has not publicly accused India, its state media has framed the 2025 Delhi embassy blast as linked to Israeli-Iranian tensions, hinting at possible distrust of India’s neutrality. Further more, why Iran targeted Haisa in Israel?
India maintains an embassy in Tehran, giving it insights into Iranian activities. If Mossad sought logistical or human intelligence on high-value targets; e.g., nuclear scientists, IRGC movements, India’s diplomatic channels could be an indirect source. While no smoking gun confirms intelligence sharing, the depth of India-Israel collaboration combined with Mossad’s infiltration capabilities and Iran’s isolation makes the scenario plausible. Whether deliberate or incidental, India’s strategic choices may have indirectly aided Israel’s anti-Iran operations, even if official denials persist.This all indicates a possibility that India-Israel nexus has played a role in attacking Iran.
