Oppn condemns killing of Khamenei
DUBAI/NEW DELHI, 1 Mar: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the United States, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability.
Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early Sunday. US President Donald Trump had announced his death hours earlier, saying it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country.
Several opposition parties on Sunday condemned the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israel strikes, with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra saying that the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader by the “so called leaders of the democratic world” is “despicable.”
Leaders of the Congress and other parties also criticised the Centre’s foreign policy, saying the government’s response to the war unleashed on Iran, which has been a long-time “friend,” has been a “betrayal” of India’s values, principles and interests.
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi termed the killing an “immoral and unlawful act,” and expressed hope that the central government would play a role in halting the war.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also condemned the killing and said that the “war that America has carried out on Iran is unnecessary.”
CPI leader D Raja said that the US-Israel “nexus represents evil in its most naked form.”
“The silence of the Government of India and Prime Minister Modi is disturbing. Iran has been a friendly, time tested partner, supportive on Kashmir and balanced within the OIC. India’s strategic investment in Chabahar port, crucial for access to
Afghanistan and central Asia, bypassing Pakistan, is directly jeopardised by Iran’s destabilisation,” he said.
In Jammu and Kashmir, various parties, including the ruling National Conference, also deplored the US-Israel attacks on Iran.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed deep concern over the developments in Iran and appealed for calm amid widespread protests.
Expressing “profound anguish” over the assassination of Khamenei, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah urged the administration to handle the situation with sensitivity and discretion, ensuring that those who wish to mourn are able to do so respectfully.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the killing of Khamenei marks a “deeply tragic and shameful” point in history.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying she hopes that having “genuflected” before Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, the PM makes every effort to bring all Indian citizens in the affected countries back home to safety.
In a post on X, she said, “The targeted assassination of the leadership of a sovereign nation by the so-called leaders of the democratic world and the killing of multitudes of innocent people is despicable and deserves strong condemnation, no matter what the proclaimed reason for it is.”
It is tragic that multiple nations have now been dragged into conflict, she said.
Taking a swipe at Modi, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said India’s foreign policy under the “self-styled Vishwaguru” stands brutally exposed, notwithstanding all the grandstanding on it by the cheerleaders of the PM, led by himself.
“PM Modi visited Israel on 25-26 February, 2026, at a time when the entire world was aware that a US-Israel military attack on Iran for regime change was imminent.
“The assault began just two days after Mr Modi left Israel, where his speech to the Knesset was a display of shameful moral cowardice,” Ramesh said on X.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut slammed the BJP-led Centre for its stand following the US-Israeli attack on India’s “friend” Iran that claimed the life of Khamenei, and raised questions about its foreign policy.
Speaking to reporters, Raut said that Iran’s becoming weak is also dangerous for India because if the US and Israel control the west Asian country, “their steps will move towards India.”
In a post on X, RJD MP Manoj Jha said, “US-Israel-Iran war is very shameful and it is not going to stop; UN has lost its meaning.”
The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, with Trump calling on the Iranian public to seize control of their destiny and rise up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled their country since 1979. (AP/PTI)
