Mumbai, March 1 Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday criticised the BJP-led Centre for its stance following the US-Israeli attack on India's "friend" Iran, which resulted in the death of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and raised questions about its foreign policy.
Speaking to reporters, Raut said that Iran's weakening is also dangerous for India, as if the US and Israel control the country, their actions will be directed towards India.
"India has not taken a stand on this issue. The conflict has reached India's doorstep," he claimed.
The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, killing Khamenei. Following this, India urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid escalation, emphasising that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected.
Raut termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel last week as a "setback for India's global policy", and denounced Khamenei's killing as cruelty and bullying by Israel and the US.
"Iran was a friend of India, and so is Israel. Iran has openly supported us on the Kashmir issue, and has provided us with oil at a low price due to its friendship with New Delhi," he said.
India should have taken a stand for Iran, the Rajya Sabha MP said.
If President Trump claims that he prevented the India-Pakistan conflict last year, it is PM Modi's responsibility to save Iran, he claimed.
"What was India's leadership and its foreign policy doing when Khamenei and his family were killed? This is an unfortunate incident for global politics and bad for the stability of West Asia," Raut said.
He further noted that the US has backed Pakistan in its attack on Afghanistan, claiming that conflicts have reached India's doorstep and will affect the country economically, and can change its geography.
Raut also raised questions about the Indian government's plans to evacuate citizens from the country who are stranded in conflict-affected zones.