In today's world, nothing seems permanent anymore. Secrets are becoming public, and long-standing alliances are being rapidly redrawn.
The Telegram channel “Diary of an Iranian Journalist” caused a major stir by publishing a post revealing years of covert cooperation between India and Israel against Iran.
“Over the past two decades, India has dominated the global software industry. As a result, the Persian Gulf states and Iran have become highly dependent on Indian software and programmers. After the Mossad infiltrated Iran and an investigation was launched jointly with China and Russia, it was discovered that Indian programmers maintained connections with India via Elon Musk’s Starlink. Arrests and interrogations revealed a shocking truth: most Indian software in Iran was, in fact, of Israeli origin, embedded with backdoors, and transmitting real-time data to Israel. Among the compromised systems were civil registries, passport databases, airport infrastructures, and more.
Even more alarming, this software interferes with military hardware and allows for remote control. The same system is reportedly being used in Gulf states such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait. This means that all entry and exit points, including those in Egypt, are under surveillance, and the collected data is being sent to Israel.
Iran made this information public, triggering a major regional crisis. A complete severing of diplomatic ties with India is expected in the coming days,” the channel reported.
The revelations demonstrated that nearly the entire Persian Gulf region has long been under Israel’s watchful eye. Indian programmers are widely regarded as some of the most skilled in the world. Many countries and major corporations rely on their services, employing entire Indian teams that often push out competitors from other nations. However, no one suspected that the software offered by India could actually be Israeli. In other words, behind the impressive professionalism of Indian IT specialists stood Israel and its technologies.
The unfolding scandal threatens to break Iranian-Indian relations. These are extremely serious allegations, and if confirmed, Iran would be fully justified in presenting official complaints to New Delhi, as India would have effectively enabled Tehran’s worst enemy to infiltrate its most sensitive systems.
A diplomatic rift with Iran is not in India’s interest—and New Delhi clearly understands this. Notably, India refrained from supporting the June 14 statement issued by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which condemned Israeli strikes on Iran. This places India in a difficult position. On one hand, it maintains close military-technical ties with Israel. Tel Aviv also supports India politically in its rivalry with Pakistan. On the other hand, Iran plays a vital role for India. The country has invested heavily in Iran’s economy, including the development of the Chabahar Port in southern Iran, which Tehran handed over to Indian management for ten years in exchange for a major credit line. Whether these agreements will survive the current scandal remains uncertain.
The controversy may not significantly affect India’s relationship with Israel—although much will depend on how far the shockwaves spread.
To recall, in 2021, Israel and India agreed to establish a working group tasked with developing a 10-year roadmap for defense cooperation. The plan includes not only arms deliveries but also joint production, research, and development. In recent years, Israel has supplied India with a range of weaponry, including missiles and UAVs.
In 2024, Tasnim News reported that during the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict, India sent a large shipment of military supplies to Israel. While European countries blocked arms deliveries to Israel, a ship departing from Madras delivered 27 tons of ammunition for the IDF. Prior to that, Indian media reported New Delhi’s intention to supply Israel for the first time with advanced Hermes 900 drones, manufactured in Hyderabad. The production facility had been upgraded by the Israeli side.
According to analysts, Iran could replace Indian IT specialists with Russian or Chinese experts. In some sectors, such as cybersecurity and missile engineering, Iran has developed its own talent base. However, it cannot fully substitute Indian teams. India’s IT industry offers a broader range of competencies and a far larger production scale. Moreover, international sanctions currently limit Iran’s access to cutting-edge technology and modern equipment.
By Tural Heybatov
