India condoles Khamenei death as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visits Embassy of Iran
India has offered condolences on the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri signing the condolence book at the Iranian embassy in New Delhi on Thursday.
Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, an incident that has plunged the West Asian region into a war.
Misri visited the Iranian embassy and signed the condolence book on behalf of the government of India.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) also released a photograph of the foreign secretary’s conversation with the Iranian envoy to India, Mohammad Fathali.
Earlier on Tuesday, India had called for dialogue and diplomacy to end the Iran-US conflict early, emphasising the need to secure the interests of nearly 10 million Indians living in West Asia and to prevent disruptions to trade and energy supply chains, with potential “serious consequences” for the country’s economy.
Oil prices surged after Iranian forces effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. Natural gas prices rose as QatarEnergy, one of the world’s largest exporters, halted production following attacks on its facilities. These developments have heightened concerns in India, the world’s second-largest crude importer, which meets around 85% of its needs through imports.
“In this background, India strongly reiterates its call for dialogue and diplomacy. We raise our voice clearly in favour of an early end to the conflict. Already, many lives have been regrettably lost, and we express our grief in that regard,” the external affairs ministry said in a detailed statement, three days after a brief and initial response to the evolving situation.