New Delhi, March 5: India on Thursday condoled the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against the backdrop of scathing criticism of the government by opposition parties for its silence on the assassination as well as on sinking of an Iranian ship by the US off the Sri Lankan coast.
Six days after Khamenei was killed in a joint strike on Tehran by the US and Israel, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited the Iranian embassy and signed the condolence book on behalf of the government of India. Misri also held a brief conversation with Iranian envoy Mohammad Fathali.
Separately, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi and discussed the evolving situation in West Asia. It was the second phone conversation between the two foreign ministers since February 28 when the US and Israel launched the attack on Iran.
“Sincerest condolences on behalf of the government and people of India. We pray for peace for the departed soul,” Misri wrote in the condolence book on Khamenei’s death, in what is being seen by many as a signs of a subtle shift in New Delhi’s position on the conflict.
Unlike in May 2024, when Jaishankar visited the Iranian embassy to mourn the death of the then president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, New Delhi’s response to the Supreme Leader’s death was handled by the foreign secretary.
In the last few days, the government came under sharp attacks from the Opposition with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi saying its silence on the targeted assassination of Khamenei raised serious doubts about the direction and credibility of India’s foreign policy.
Though India called for resolution of the West Asia crisis through dialogue and diplomacy, it chose not to react to Khamenei’s killing.
Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a wave of attacks mainly targeting Israel and American military bases in several Gulf countries including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
In the last two days, the conflict has widened significantly with attacks and counter-attacks by both the sides triggering fears of a prolonged war in West Asia.
New Delhi’s condolence on Khamenei’s killing also came a day after the US sank Iranian warship IRIS Dena in international waters off Sri Lanka’s coast when it was returning home after participating in the Milan naval exercise, a multilateral wargame hosted by India. (PTI)
