Diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan have collapsed into a deep freeze. With official dialogue suspended and military tensions rising, both nations are likely to rely on backchannels solely to manage crises.

Pakistan is attempting to broker a ceasefire in the US-Israel war on Iran to protect its own economic stability, which relies heavily on Gulf oil and remittances.

The Iran ceasefire highlights the intersection of US strategic recalibration and Pakistan’s constrained diplomatic agency. What appears as mediation is, in reality, a reflection of broader power asymmetries in regional politics.

Amid continuing US/Israel–Iran tensions, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait emerges as a new flashpoint threatening global trade, energy, and digital flows. India’s India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) offers a strategic hedge to mitigate these maritime risks.