External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said the international system is seeing growing pressure as countries increasingly use their economic, geographic and strategic leverage against competitors, arguing that rules are being respected less than they were in the past. Speaking at an Asia Society event in New York at the conclusion of the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week, Jaishankar said this shift had contributed to the emergence of what he described as “choke points” in global affairs. “The first point is that countries feel that our position is up or down, but we have leverage; we need to use it,” Jaishankar said. He argued that assumptions underpinning the international system were being challenged and that the consequences had become increasingly visible over the past four to five years.

According to the minister, these included geographical choke points such as the Strait of Hormuz, financial pressure points created through sanctions, as well as restrictions involving travel and market access. Jaishankar's reference to the Strait of Hormuz comes amid continuing concerns over disruptions to energy and maritime trade in West Asia. The narrow waterway between Iran and Oman is one of the world's most important oil transit routes. The International Energy Agency says an average of about 20 million barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum products moved through the strait in 2025, equivalent to around a quarter of global seaborne oil trade. Its limited alternatives make the waterway particularly important to global energy markets.

The minister also pointed to financial sanctions as another form of leverage that can create pressure beyond traditional military or geographic means. He said countries with influence or “clout” were increasingly willing to exercise whatever leverage they possessed against rivals or competitors in an increasingly competitive international environment. His comments come as governments are dealing with conflicts, sanctions, supply-chain vulnerabilities and disruptions affecting food, fuel, fertilisers and finance. Jaishankar also described what he called a paradox at the centre of contemporary diplomacy: countries are competing more intensely even as their economic and strategic interdependence continues to deepen.  “The interdependence is the reality; the competition is the sentiment,” he said.

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He explained that governments are therefore caught between the desire to compete with other countries and the practical consequences of disrupting relationships on which their own economies and security can depend. According to Jaishankar, this tension has made diplomacy increasingly difficult. He said countries are trying to reduce their exposure to potential disruptions by diversifying partnerships and supply chains, while simultaneously seeking to preserve existing relationships. He described the present diplomatic environment as one in which governments must respond to immediate risks while continuing longer-term negotiations and maintaining working relationships with countries that may also be competitors. The minister's remarks followed his address to the UN General Assembly, where he had also warned about what he called the “weaponisation of everything”, including finance, market access, supply chains and technology.

He argued that the resulting uncertainty was encouraging countries to pursue de-risking and diversification rather than relying on assumptions of stable global cooperation. The comments come against the backdrop of multiple conflicts and growing concerns over the impact of geopolitical tensions on global trade and supply chains. Jaishankar said the changing environment was also contributing to a broader shift towards a more multipolar international order. He said countries were adjusting their partnerships and looking for ways to reduce risks arising from dependence on any single major power or supply route. At the same time, he said he was not pessimistic about the future, arguing that countries still had strong incentives to negotiate new arrangements and maintain dependable economic and diplomatic relationships.

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