Securing Strategic Conduits: India’s Maritime Posture in Middle East’s Geopolitical Theatre

India’s maritime strategy has undergone a significant transformation in the twenty-first century, with the Middle East emerging as an increasingly important component of India’s broader Indo-Pacific vision. Traditionally, India’s engagement with the Middle East was largely viewed through a continental and energy-security lens. However, the growing centrality of maritime trade, the vulnerability of sea lanes, and the intensification of geopolitical competition in the Indian Ocean have compelled India to re-conceptualize the region as a vital maritime theatre. This chapter examines India’s evolving maritime posture in the Middle East and argues that the region has become a critical frontier for safeguarding India’s strategic interests, particularly in terms of energy security, diaspora protection, and the geo-economics of maritime connectivity. India’s strategic outlook increasingly seeks to position the country as a “net security provider” in the Western Indian Ocean region. Within this framework, the Middle East is viewed not merely as a neighbouring geopolitical space but as the western anchor of India’s Indo-Pacific strategy, linking the Arabian Sea with the Red Sea and the Mediterranean maritime corridors. The chapter highlights how India’s maritime engagement in the region reflects both strategic necessity and a broader effort to shape regional security architectures without compromising its strategic autonomy. The first section analyses the strategic importance of key maritime chokepoints, particularly the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which a substantial proportion of India’s energy imports and trade flows pass. It examines how disruptions in these passages—whether due to geopolitical conflict, piracy, or non-state actors—can directly impact India’s economic security. The second section traces the evolution of India’s naval engagement in the Middle East, focusing on naval deployments, anti-piracy operations, evacuation missions, and bilateral as well as trilateral maritime exercises with regional partners. This section also explores the diplomatic complexities India faces while maintaining balanced relations with diverse actors across the Middle East. Furthermore, the chapter evaluates how India integrates its Middle Eastern maritime engagement within broader Indo-Pacific strategic frameworks, including participation in cooperative maritime security initiatives such as EUNAVFOR and the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). The final section outlines key strategic challenges and provides recommendations aimed at strengthening India’s maritime capabilities, improving maritime domain awareness, and sustaining strategic autonomy in an increasingly contested maritime environment. Overall, the chapter argues that India’s approach toward the Middle East has gradually shifted from a reactive and crisis-driven policy to a proactive and strategically embedded maritime engagement, reflecting India’s aspirations to shape a stable and multipolar Indo-Pacific order.