Opposition parties doubled down on the Centre’s silence on Iran, a day after a US submarine torpedoed an Iranian frigate off the coast of Sri Lanka when it was returning from a fleet review in Visakhapatnam.
Amid widespread criticism, foreign secretary Vikram Misri condoled the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and external affairs minister S. Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi. The navy also issued an anodyne statement that neither mentioned Iran nor the US.
The Congress’s foreign affairs department said in a statement earlier in the day: “Official silence and compromise risks jeopardising this hard-built trust in India’s naval capabilities and track record, in future Indian-led exercises, intelligence sharing, and coordination on anti-piracy and HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) operations.
“The BJP government should realise that India’s operational footprint and commitment to international law does not end 12 nautical miles off our coast, nor does it stop at the edge of our Exclusive Economic Zone. India must strongly assert our legitimate interests in the Indian Ocean Region, and not cede hard-fought space that other nations could exploit.”
AAP leader Manish Sisodia said in a statement: “Twenty-four hours have passed, but not a single word has come from the mouth of India’s Prime Minister. This silence is not just silence, it is a dangerous signal. What message is going out to the world? That anyone can come and wage a war near India’s borders and India’s Prime Minister will remain silent?
“If things continue like this, the world will remember Narendra Modi as a leader who delivered grand speeches on platforms but bowed before the US in moments of real crisis. And today the country is also asking how much more India will be made to bend under the pressure of the Epstein files.”
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav posted on X: “Indians are troubled, wondering what the BJP government — which isn’t even saying anything — will actually do. The BJP has lost the public’s trust. It feels as though there’s no such thing as a government in the country at all.... For the country, this is a time of ‘government vacuum.’”
Before Misri’s visit to the Iranian embassy, Shiv Sena (Uddhav) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi posted on X: “The least we can do is express our condolences, GoI? How does this even look when those who died in the brazen US attack in the ocean and the ship that was attacked were our guests?”
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge termed the government’s silence as a “reckless abdication”. He posted on X: “Modi govt’s reckless abdication of India’s strategic & national interests is there for all to see. 1. An Iranian ship, a guest of India was returning, unarmed from the International Fleet Review 2026, hosted by us, and was torpedoed in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). No statement of concern or condolence....
“2. As many as 38 Indian Flag commercial ships, along with 1,100 sailors, are stuck in the Gulf of Hormuz. 2 Indian sailors, including Captain Ashish Kumar have reportedly died. Why is there no maritime rescue or relief operation in place? You say only 25 days of crude and oil stocks left. With rising oil prices, what is our energy contingency plan, especially in the wake of GOI virtually accepting the demand to stop import of Russian oil?”
“3. As per MEA statement on March 3, 2026, ‘some Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing’. There are one crore Indians in the Gulf.... Medical students are releasing desperate video messages seeking help. How is the GOI securing their well-being?... Clearly, Modi Ji’s SURRENDER is both political and moral!”