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India slams Iran's Khamenei over remarks on minorities in country: ‘Misinformed, unacceptable’
Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei raised the “suffering” of Muslims in India, Gaza and Myanmar
India on Monday condemned Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamanei's remark on minorities in the country.
“We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable. Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others,” the ministry of external affairs said in a statement.
Khamenei raised the “suffering” of Muslims in India, Gaza and Myanmar, calling for solidarity among the members of the community across the world.
“We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place,” the Iranian leader said in his post on social platform X.
Iran's Khamenei's past remark on minorities in India
This is not the first instance when the Iranian leader has spoken on minorities in India. In 2019, he had reacted on the Narendra Modi government's decision to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We’re concerned about Muslims’ situation in #Kashmir. We have good relations with India, but we expect the Indian government to adopt a just policy towards the noble people of Kashmir and prevent the oppression & bullying of Muslims in this region,” he had said.
India and Iran have recently solidified their collaboration by signing a significant long-term agreement to operate the Shahid-Beheshti Port Terminal.
This deal, witnessed by ministers from both countries, underscores the strategic importance of the Chabahar port pact. By enhancing regional connectivity, the agreement is poised to streamline trade routes between India, Iran, and Afghanistan, offering an alternative to traditional routes that pass through Pakistan.
India and Iran share a millennia-long history of interactions. The contemporary relations between the two countries are marked by high-level exchanges, commercial cooperation, connectivity paradigm and cultural and people-to-people ties.
