New Delhi, March 5 Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the conflict in West Asia has reached India's doorstep, but he has not spoken, and while the country needs a steady hand at the helm, it has a "compromised PM who has surrendered our strategic autonomy".
Gandhi said the world has entered a volatile phase, and "stormy seas lie ahead".
"India's oil supplies are under threat, with more than 40% of our imports transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The situation is even worse for LPG and LNG," he said on X.
"The conflict has reached our doorstep, with an Iranian warship sunk in the Indian Ocean. Yet the Prime Minister has said nothing," Gandhi said.
At a time like this, India needs a steady hand at the helm, he said.
"Instead, India has a compromised PM who has surrendered our strategic autonomy," Gandhi alleged.
His remarks came a day after a US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in international waters off the coast of Sri Lanka, while it was returning after participating in the Milan naval exercise, a multilateral wargame hosted by India.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, confirming the strike, said at a Pentagon media briefing that it was the first sinking of an enemy warship by a torpedo since World War II.
The Associated Press, quoting the Sri Lankan Navy, reported that 87 bodies were recovered and that 32 people were rescued following the sinking of the warship IRIS Dena.
The incident marks a major escalation of the conflict between the US and Iran outside the Persian Gulf and raises questions relating to maritime security in the Indian Ocean, which is largely considered the backyard of the Indian Navy.
The US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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 few days, the conflict has widened significantly with attacks and counter-attacks by both sides.
India has called for resolving the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.