New Delhi, March 5 India on Thursday expressed condolences for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid sharp criticism from opposition parties regarding the government's silence on the assassination as well as the 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 Indian government. Misri also had 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. This 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 regarding Khamenei's death, which many see as 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 then-President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, the foreign secretary handled New Delhi's response to the Supreme Leader's death.
In the last few days, the government came under heavy criticism from the Opposition, with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi saying that the government's silence on the targeted assassination of Khamenei raised serious doubts about the direction and credibility of India's foreign policy.
Although India called for a resolution of the West Asia crisis through dialogue and diplomacy, it chose not to comment on Khamenei's killing.
Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a series 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 significantly widened, with attacks and counter-attacks by both sides raising fears of a prolonged war in West Asia.
New Delhi's condolences for Khamenei's killing also came a day after the US sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in international waters off the coast of Sri Lanka, where 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 participating in the Milan exercise, the ship was also featured in the International Fleet Review organized by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam last month.
Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi also mentioned the sinking of the IRIS Dena.
"The US has committed an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores. The 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 the Iranian warship IRIS Dena.
Former Indian Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash described the US action as a "senseless" and "inflammatory act".
"The sinking of the Iranian warship, off the 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 being politically or militarily responsible for the US attack. Our 'responsibility' is at a moral and human plane," he said.
