Iran’s Leader Visits Delhi Gurdwara; War Impacts Students & Farmers

March

2026

On 16 Mar, the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader in India, Professor Ayatollah Abdul Majid Hakim Elahi visited Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in New Delhi with colleagues to attend the final prayers for Parduman Singh Chandhok. Chandok had played a significant role in establishing Gurdwaras in Iran. This and the previous Sikh delegation's visit to the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi on 9 Mar to condole Ayatollah Khamenei’s death underline the deep ties between the people of Panjab and Iran. Furthermore, in Panjab, multiple organizations like student bodies and farmers’ unions have come out in support of the people of Iran, condemning the Israel-US war on Iran. The ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf has also adversely impacted students and the business community in Panjab. Airspace closures and flight disruptions across the region have sharply increased travel costs, particularly for Panjabi students flying to the US or Canada via Europe. With countries such as the UAE, Qatar, Iraq and Iran closing or restricting their airspace, students returning to universities in the US and Canada are now paying USD 2,130–3,190 for flights via Europe, compared to USD 644–745 earlier. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India’s aviation regulator, has issued a travel advisory for the airlines asking them to avoid flying through nine airspaces. Meanwhile, with more than USD 13B worth of exports, China is among the largest fertilizer exporters now. As the war progresses, China is clamping down on fertilizer exports to protect its domestic market. In mid-March, Beijing banned exports of nitrogen-potassium fertilizer blends and certain phosphate varieties. Added to existing bans and export quotas for urea, only a handful of fertilizers—notably ammonium sulphate—are being exported. That means between half and three quarters—⁠potentially up to 40MMT—of China's 2025 exports are restricted for 2026. This would adversely affect farmers in India, especially Panjab and Haryana in the upcoming paddy sowing season. Meanwhile, the US has announced a temporary lifting of sanctions on the sale of 140M barrels of Iranian oil stranded at sea in an effort to cool down soaring global crude oil prices. However, Iran has said they don’t have surplus oil for Europe and the US (earlier coverage).