India has said Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's remarks about Indian Muslims are “unacceptable”. In a message on X on Prophet Muhammad's birthday, the Iranian leader had lumped Indian Muslims with those in Gaza and spoke about their suffering.
“We deeply regret the remarks made by the Supreme Leader of Iran regarding minorities in India,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
“This is misinformed and unacceptable. Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own track record before commenting on others,” New Delhi added.
In his post on X, formerly Twitter, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said today: “We cannot consider ourselves Muslims if we are not aware of the suffering a Muslim goes through in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India or anywhere else.”
“The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent to our shared identity as an Islamic community,” he added.
The remarks came at a time when hostilities between Iran and Israel have escalated, leading to unrest in New Delhi.
India has close ties with both countries. If 80 percent of its oil comes from West Asia, its strategic relationship with Israel — particularly in the areas of defense and security — is developing.
Tehran is the largest supplier of crude oil in West Asia. New Delhi and Tehran also share concerns about terror from Pakistan and Afghanistan and hope for the Chabahar port.
Terror is also what unites India and Israel. Both countries suffered from the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on 26/11. That is why India supported Israel in the first hours after the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7.