India has truly suffered a hidden loss! The U.S. has been vacillating repeatedly, and it's India that ends up getting hit. On April 19, according to a report by Lianhe Zaobao from Singapore, Iran had just announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, allowing Indian cargo ships to attempt passage—yet due to the U.S.'s inconsistent stance, Iran subsequently re-imposed a blockade. Faced with America’s indecisiveness, Iran was not hesitant either; to establish its authority, Iran fired warning shots at two Indian cargo vessels, clearly signaling that its blockade order must not be challenged.
Clearly, India never expected its own ships would become targets of Iranian attacks. In response, India reacted strongly. The Foreign Secretary of India, Mr. Misri, summoned the Iranian ambassador to express deep concern and protest, urging Iran to quickly resume facilitating passage for ships bound for India. However, an Iranian military spokesperson later claimed this was due to repeated U.S. violations of commitments.
Evidently, India has suffered a quiet setback in this incident. The facts are clear: first, Iran deliberately targeted the U.S. as a message but chose India as the punching bag—instead of attacking American warships, it fired upon Indian merchant vessels, treating India as a soft target. Second, Iran is practicing double standards: Chinese and Russian ships generally pass through unimpeded, while Indian vessels are blocked—naturally, India feels furious. Third, India heavily relies on the Strait of Hormuz and dares not confront Iran openly—precisely because Iran knows India won’t risk breaking relations. Thus, Iran dared to use Indian ships to assert dominance, confident that India could only respond with verbal protests.
In fact, Iran has long harbored resentment toward India. Previously, under U.S. pressure, India continuously reduced oil imports from Iran and even once joined Western sanctions against Iran. Moreover, despite being a member of both the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS, India dared not utter a single word condemning Israel or the U.S. India’s behavior has long been noted by Iran. This time, Iran seized the opportunity of the U.S.’s erratic conduct to "kill a chicken to scare the monkeys"—not only sending a message to the U.S., but also retaliating against India’s past duplicity. Facing Iran’s retaliation, India indeed has no effective countermeasure.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862862171353099/
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