Congress alleges BJP 'destroying' foreign policy over Iran silence

Congress MP Rashid Alvi accused the BJP govt of 'destroying' India's foreign policy, questioning PM Modi's silence on Ayatollah Khamenei's death and demanding he disclose his talks with Israeli PM Netanyahu.

Congress Slams PM Modi's 'Silence' on Iran

Congress MP Rashid Alvi on Tuesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government is "destroying" India's foreign policy, and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi disclose his conversations with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Israel. He questioned PM Modi's "silence" on the killing of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei. "The current government has destroyed India's foreign policy. PM is talking to the UAE rulers and others, but not with Iran. PM should tell people about his discussion with Netanyahu on this conflict. This is the reason for his silence. He has said that Israel is his fatherland, so how can he speak against his fatherland?," Alvi told ANI.

Earlier, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, shared Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi's opinion editorial on the PM Modi government's silence on Ayatollah Khamenei's death. Sonia Gandhi, in the opinion editorial (op-ed) piece in The Indian Express, stated that the government's silence on the "targeted assassination" of Khamenei is "not neutral but an abdication." Sonia Gandhi said India's lack of response "signals tacit endorsement of this tragedy."

Middle East Conflict Escalates

Meanwhile, Israel conducted strikes in both Tehran and Beirut, while the US Embassy in Riyadh was struck by Iranian drones. The Israeli Defence Forces said in a post on X that it is currently conducting simultaneous targeted strikes against military targets in Tehran and Beirut. The Jerusalem Post reported, citing Reuters, that the US Embassy in Riyadh was struck by a drone attack. It also shared that two more US soldiers were killed in Operation Epic Fury, taking the American toll to six.

US and Israel conducted airstrikes across multiple Iranian cities on February 28, targeting military command centres, air-defence systems, missile sites, and key regime infrastructure. These strikes resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and four senior military and security officials, with large explosions reported in Tehran and other major cities.

In response, Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles and drones at US assets and allies across the region, including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, further widening the conflict in the Middle East and heightening risks for civilians and expatriates alike.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)