PM Modi with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on 23 May 2016.

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday sharply criticised the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for its silence over the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, calling it an ‘abdication’ rather than neutrality.In an opinion piece published in The Indian Express, Sonia Gandhi said India’s lack of a clear response to the killing “signals tacit endorsement of this tragedy.”

Referring to Iran’s confirmation on March 1 that Ayatollah Khamenei was killed in targeted strikes allegedly carried out by the United States and Israel a day earlier, Gandhi described the assassination of a sitting head of state during ongoing negotiations as a “grave rupture in contemporary international relations.”“Beyond the shock of the event, what stands out equally starkly is New Delhi’s silence,” she wrote.She criticised the Prime Minister for initially condemning only Iran’s retaliatory strike on the United Arab Emirates, without addressing the sequence of events that led to the escalation. According to Gandhi, later remarks expressing “deep concern” and calling for “dialogue and diplomacy” were inadequate, as diplomatic engagement had been under way before what she termed “massive unprovoked attacks” by the US and Israel.She argued that India’s failure to clearly defend sovereignty and international law in the wake of a targeted killing raises “serious doubts” about the credibility and direction of its foreign policy.She also pointed to the timing of PM Modi’s recent visit to Israel, where he reiterated support for the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, even as the conflict in Gaza continues to draw global criticism over civilian casualties.“The unease is compounded by the timing,” she wrote, noting that PM Modi had returned from Israel barely 48 hours before the assassination. She described India’s stance as a “high-profile political endorsement without moral clarity,” particularly when several countries in the Global South and BRICS partners such as Russia and China have maintained distance.Gandhi further demanded a discussion in Parliament during the second half of the Budget Session on what she termed the government’s “disturbing silence.”On Saturday, US and Israeli forces carried out coordinated airstrikes across multiple Iranian cities, targeting military command centres, air-defence systems, missile sites and other strategic infrastructure. The strikes reportedly resulted in the death of Ayatollah Khamenei and four senior Iranian military and security officials, with large explosions reported in Tehran and other cities.In retaliation, Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones targeting US assets and allied nations in the region, including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. The developments have significantly escalated tensions in the Middle East, raising concerns for regional stability and civilian safety.