New Delhi: India’s interests are threatened by the increasing tension between Israel and Iran in West Asia. Its impact is not only limited to trade, but can also have the safety of Indian citizens, students and workers and the economy of India. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India imports a lot of oil from West Asia. If there is war or disturbance, oil can be expensive. This will affect the country’s economy.
The number of Indians in Israel and Iran is very low. Israel is 0.3% and Iran has 0.03%, but 25% of the 3.5 million diaspora from India across West Asia live here. Millions of Indians do wages or technical work in West Asia. The most Indians are in UAE (36 lakhs) and then Saudi Arabia (25 lakhs).
In recent years, the number of Indian professionals with high skills has increased, especially in the UAE. The reason for this is tax free salary, not capital gains tax, golden visa programs in which people from special areas get residents up to 10 years. The UAE also has many magnificent international universities campuses, so it remains popular for studies. Iran is the second favorite country for medical and engineering studies.
If the conflict between Israel and Iran increases, this can cause instability throughout the region. Those who are planning to study or work may be interrupted. Russia-Ukraine war can get a lesson. The number of Indians studying in Ukraine was about 2,200 in 2022, but in 2024 it declined to just 252.
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People of India who live abroad, one in every four people lives in West Asian countries. These people send billions of dollars to their country every year, which is called Remittens. In 2023-24, India received a total of US $ 118 billion (about ₹ 9.8 lakh crore). A safety shield of prevention of external economic shocks is also formed. The most remedies have come from America. But West Asian countries together sent 38% of the total Remittens, ie about 45 billion US dollars. India gets very few remedies from Israel and Iran. But if it spreads to conflict and countries, it can cause instability in those countries too.
