Thought Leadership
Today, cancer care has evolved by leaps and bounds but we have not gotten rid of the negative cancer terminology like palliative care, terminal disease, or Stage IV. Why can't we treat cancer like any other chronic disease? A diabetes patient is never told he is a victim of diabetes, or he is being given palliative care.Dr. B. S. Ajaikumar
Resolving the US-Iran Deadlock: India should play the bridge-builder
- Date: 2026-04-28 04:00:27
- Author: Dr. BS Ajaikumar
The world has grown accustomed to viewing the US-Iran conflict as an intractable, almost existential standoff: a clash of civilizations with no end in sight. Yet, if one steps back from the noise of geopolitics and applies a dose of plain common sense, a workable solution begins to take shape. Sometimes, the simplest answers are the most powerful ones.
Let us first acknowledge an uncomfortable truth: Iran is not the only authoritarian regime in its neighbourhood. Several of its neighbours govern with an iron fist, and yet the international community rarely subjects them to the same level of scrutiny or sanction. This selective outrage, whether justified or not, gives Iran legitimate grounds to feel singled out. Any honest diplomatic effort must begin by recognising this perception, even if it does not excuse Iran's own conduct.
That said, the real bone of contention between Washington and Tehran is not human rights, it is the nuclear question. Iran's ambition to develop nuclear capability has long been the true "apple of discord." And at the heart of Iran's nuclear drive lies a very specific fear: the threat of a nuclear strike from Israel. Tehran's pursuit of the bomb, in its own calculus, is essentially a deterrent, a shield against what it perceives as an existential Israeli threat. Understanding this fear is the first step toward dismantling it.
Here, then, is a framework for a lasting solution. The United States, along with its global partners, should come to the negotiating table with a bold but straightforward offer. Washington tells Tehran: govern your country as you see fit, but cease your support for destabilising proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. In return, the international community, led by the US, will actively support Iran's development of nuclear energy for civilian purposes, while holding firm on the prohibition of weapons development. Most critically, the US, alongside Russia and China, formally guarantees the protection of Iran's borders against any nuclear threat from any nation, including Israel.
This last point is the linchpin. If Iran's core fear is a nuclear attack, then a credible, multilateral security guarantee directly addresses that fear. With Russia and China echoing this commitment, the assurance carries the weight of the world's three most powerful nations. Iran would have little rational basis to refuse such an offe: to do so would be to choose isolation over security, and confrontation over prosperity.
The United Nations must play a proactive and assertive role in shepherding all parties toward this agreement. And here, India, which is a nation that maintains friendly ties with both Iran and the West, and commands respect across the Global South, is uniquely positioned to serve as a bridge-builder, bringing all stakeholders to the same table.
Peace in the Middle East has long seemed like a distant dream. But perhaps it need not be. The simpler the solution, the more effective it tends to be. There is no good reason why this one shouldn't work.