NEW DELHI, March 05: India on Thursday expressed condolences over the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint US-Israel airstrike last week. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri conveyed New Delhi’s message of sympathy during a visit to the Iranian Embassy in the national capital.
During the visit, Misri met Iran’s Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali and signed the condolence book on behalf of the Government of India, conveying solidarity with the Iranian leadership and people during the time of mourning.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also released photographs of the interaction between the foreign secretary and the Iranian envoy at the embassy.
Khamenei, who had led Iran since 1989, was killed in the February 28 airstrike amid the escalating conflict in West Asia.
While India earlier called for restraint and urged that the crisis in West Asia be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, it had initially refrained from issuing a direct reaction to Khamenei’s killing.
Misri’s visit to the Iranian embassy and his signing of the condolence register is being viewed as New Delhi’s first formal expression of sympathy following the Iranian leader’s death. The move comes amid criticism from several opposition parties, which had questioned the government’s earlier silence on the incident.
The developments also come at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, with continued military exchanges raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
