New Delhi: 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 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.
At least 87 Iranian military personnel were killed in the strike.
Besides attending the Milan exercise, the ship featured in the International Fleet Review organised by the Indian Navy in Vishakapatnam last month.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi also made a mention of the sinking of the IRIS Dena.
“The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores. Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning,” he said on social media.
“Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set,” he said.
The Indian Navy Thursday said it joined the search and rescue operation after learning about a distress call from Iranian warship IRIS Dena.
Former Indian Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash described the US action as a “senseless” and “inflammatory act”.
“Sinking of an Iranian warship, off southern tip of Sri Lanka, with heavy loss of life is a senseless & inflammatory act. Initiating another dimension of violence in this open-ended conflict, will spread alarm across the high seas & disrupt global seaborne commerce. Condemnable!,” he said on social media.
Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal said the US has ignored India’s sensitivities as the Iranian ship was in these waters because of India’s invitation.
“I am told that as per protocol for this exercise, ships cannot carry any ammunition. It was defenceless. The Iranian naval personnel had paraded before our President,” he said.
“The attack by the US submarine was premeditated as the US was aware of the Iranian ship’s presence in the exercise to which the US navy was invited but withdrew from participation at the last minute, presumably with this operation in mind,” he said on X.
“We are far from politically or militarily responsible for the US attack. Our ‘responsibility’ is at a moral and human plane,” he said.
