India in March 2026: the most important developments in security
The war involving Iran and attacks on shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz dominated India's security news in March 2026. Multiple tankers were attacked in the strait by 12 March, including a Thai cargo ship bound for India that left three crew members missing; India condemned the attacks but called reports of special permission from Iran for its ships 'premature' to comment on. Indian nationals died in several incidents: three were killed off the coast of Oman on 2 March, an Indian sailor died when a drone struck a US-owned tanker near Iraq on 12 March, two were killed in a drone attack in Oman, and others died from missile debris in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait. From mid-March the Indian Navy deployed warships to escort Indian vessels and LPG tankers from the Gulf of Oman, and on 18 March reports said 11 Indian ships, including two LPG tankers, were halted in the region. India asked airlines to avoid 11 airspaces.
A second thread concerned Iranian warships. A US submarine sank the IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka after it took part in a naval event hosted by India, and the Indian Navy said it responded to the distress call. India allowed another Iranian ship to dock at Kochi. Opposition figures and a former foreign secretary criticized the government's silence.
On the military side, two Indian Air Force pilots died when a Sukhoi-30 crashed in Assam on 6 March. The Air Force received approval to buy five S-400 systems from Russia, Indonesia agreed to buy BrahMos missiles from India, and India sought to join a sixth-generation fighter programme. India's National Investigation Agency arrested six Ukrainians and a US citizen under anti-terror laws, accusing them of supplying drones to insurgent groups; Ukraine called the arrests 'orchestrated'. Two Air Force staffers were arrested over alleged leaks to Pakistan. Security forces foiled an assassination attempt on Farooq Abdullah on 11 March, and on 30 March Home Minister Amit Shah declared India free of Naxal violence. India and Pakistan traded accusations over Pakistan's strikes in Afghanistan.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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