VIDEO EXPLAINER | 30 OCTOBER 2026
On 15 May 2026 PM Modi made a one-day stop in Abu Dhabi, where India and the UAE signed a Framework for the Strategic Defence Partnership and an ISPRL-ADNOC MoU for potential UAE crude storage of up to 30 million barrels in India’s strategic reserves, plus LPG, ship-repair (Vadinar) and supercomputing deals and USD 5 bn of UAE investment. It built on the UAE President’s 19 January 2026 visit to Delhi, which produced a Letter of Intent on the defence partnership, a USD 200 bn-by-2032 trade target and a 10-year HPCL-ADNOC Gas LNG deal. The backdrop was the West Asia war, in which Iran struck the UAE.
What happened
PM Narendra Modi paid an official visit to the UAE on 15 May 2026 and was received at the airport in Abu Dhabi by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) and Drydocks World, Dubai signed an MoU to set up a Ship Repair Cluster at Vadinar, Gujarat, under India’s Maritime Development Fund Scheme.
A term sheet was signed between C-DAC (India) and G42 (UAE) for an 8-exaflop supercomputing cluster in India as part of the IndiaAI Mission.
The leaders welcomed the operationalisation of the India-UAE Virtual Trade Corridor using MAITRI (Master Application for International Trade and Regulatory Interface).
In Abu Dhabi Modi condemned the attacks on the UAE and backed safe transit and unimpeded navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Abu Dhabi stop (15 May 2026) was the first leg of Modi’s week-long, five-nation tour that went on to the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy.
An MoU on Strategic Collaboration between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) and ADNOC provides for potential ADNOC crude storage in India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves of up to 30 million barrels.
Under the ISPRL-ADNOC MoU, the storage would include participation in facilities at Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and development of reserve facilities at Chandikol (Odisha).
The ISPRL-ADNOC MoU also envisages potential storage of crude oil in Fujairah, UAE, forming part of India’s strategic petroleum reserve.
Background and the rules behind it
The India-UAE CEPA came into force on 1 May 2022; it was India’s first full free trade agreement in a decade, negotiated in a record 88 days.
India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves are three underground facilities – Visakhapatnam, Mangalore and Padur (Karnataka) – with 5.33 million metric tonnes of crude capacity, run by ISPRL.
I2U2 groups India, Israel, the UAE and the US; its first leaders’ summit was held virtually on 14 July 2022.
Key terms
- Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR): Government-held emergency crude stock in underground rock caverns, to cushion supply shocks; in India run by ISPRL.
- Framework for the Strategic Defence Partnership: The India-UAE umbrella document of 15 May 2026 listing defence areas of cooperation; it is a framework, not a treaty or mutual-defence pact.
- Letter of Intent (LoI): A non-binding statement of intent to negotiate an agreement; the Jan 2026 LoI led to the May 2026 defence Framework.
- CEPA: Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement – a free trade agreement covering goods, services and investment.
- Sales & Purchase Agreement (SPA): A binding commercial contract to buy and sell a commodity, e.g. HPCL’s 10-year LNG purchase from ADNOC Gas.
- MAITRI: Master Application for International Trade and Regulatory Interface – the digital platform behind the India-UAE Virtual Trade Corridor.
Constitutional / Legal / Institutional framework
CLAT angle
- Passage on India-UAE ties amid the Iran war: which instrument was signed in Jan 2026 (LoI) vs May 2026 (Framework)?
- Energy security: SPR sites (Visakhapatnam, Mangalore, Padur), new Chandikol site, 30 million barrels, Fujairah storage.
- Trade: CEPA signed 18 Feb 2022, in force 1 May 2022; US$100 bn trade in FY25; US$200 bn target by 2032.
- West Asia groupings: I2U2 members, IMEC launch, Abraham Accords, Saudi-Pakistan defence pact.
- Match-the-following on deals: HPCL-ADNOC Gas (LNG), IOCL-ADNOC (LPG), CSL-Drydocks World (Vadinar), C-DAC-G42 (supercomputer).
Key facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1972 | India-UAE diplomatic relations established |
| 2015-08 | Modi’s landmark visit to the UAE; comprehensive strategic partnership agreed |
| 2017-01-25 | CSP Agreement signed during Crown Prince MBZ’s Republic Day state visit (24-26 Jan 2017) |
| 2018-11-12 | ISPRL-ADNOC MoU on Padur; ADNOC crude already stored at Mangalore |
| 2020-09-15 | Abraham Accords signed by Israel, UAE and Bahrain |
| 2022-02-18 | India-UAE CEPA signed at a virtual summit |
| 2022-05-01 | CEPA enters into force |
| 2022-07-14 | First I2U2 leaders’ summit (virtual) |
Mnemonic / memory hook
Remember the trap.
(1) Two visits: UAE President in Delhi on 19 Jan 2026 (Letter of Intent on Strategic Defence Partnership; HPCL-ADNOC Gas LNG SPA; US$200 bn by 2032) and Modi in Abu Dhabi on 15 May 2026 (the Framework for the Strategic Defence Partnership). Do not swap them. (2) The Framework is NOT a mutual-defence treaty (contrast the Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, Sep 2025). (3) The SPR deal is an MoU for POTENTIAL storage up to 30 million barrels; the LPG deal is IOCL-ADNOC; the LNG deal is HPCL-ADNOC Gas (0.5 MTPA, 10 yrs from 2028).
Sources
Primary documents and reporting listed in the fact base: pmindia.gov.in, thehindu.com, pib.gov.in, arabnews.com. Lead image: no ASSET-MANIFEST.json.
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