While Congress has pointed fingers at what it calls the silence of the Narendra Modi government on the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Minister Jaishankar steered clear of explicitly condemning any side in the conflict. He emphasised that India stands for peace, and that space must urgently be created for dialogue and diplomacy. Energy security, shipping lanes, and the livelihoods and well-being of nearly 1 crore Indian citizens are tied to stability in the Gulf. Notably, Minister Jaishankar urged that the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in the region be respected”. India has an oil import dependency of over 88 per cent; oil prices have surged to their highest levels since 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Source: Indian Express March 10, 2026 03:50 UTC