On Saturday (21st June), ex-Congress Chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote an opinion piece in The Hindu newspaper wherein she extended support to the Islamic Republic of Iran amid the ongoing conflict with the Jewish State of Israel. Additionally, she blamed the Modi government for not choosing sides and maintaining diplomatic balance.
This was done by the former Congress Chairperson with the sole objective of appeasing its homegrown ‘Muslim vote bank’, which has thrown its weight behind Iran in the interests of the ‘Ummah’ and conveniently forgotten that Iran is a Shia-majority nation in the face of conflict with the Jewish State of Israel.
Sonia Gandhi, in her opinion piece, portrayed Iran as the victim of Western hegemony and Israeli aggression. She also claimed that the Islamic Republic under Ali Hosseini Khamenei has been a ‘long-standing friend’ of India.
"New Delhi's silence on the devastation in Gaza and now on the unprovoked escalation against Iran reflects a disturbing departure from our moral and diplomatic traditions. This represents not just a loss of voice but also a surrender of values.
— Congress (@INCIndia) June 21, 2025
It is still not too late. India… pic.twitter.com/tvLCQvA2bN
To substantiate her claims, the ex-Congress Chairperson wrote, “In 1994, Iran helped block a resolution critical of India at the UN Commission on Human Rights on the Kashmir issue.” However, she failed to mention the multiple U-turns of Iran on Kashmir and the hostile anti-India remarks that its Supreme leader made on social media.
Iran had supported the ‘Right to Self-Determination’ of Kashmirs in the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) Kashmir Contact Group, thereby lending credence to the stance of Pakistan. Ali Hosseini Khamenei has also made the stance of his Islamic Republic crystal clear on Jammu & Kashmir, which is an integral part of India.
Since 2017, the Supreme leader of Iran has tried to present Kashmir as an ‘independent territory’ in several statements and social media posts. He had infamously claimed, “Everyone should openly support people of Yemen, Bahrain, and Kashmir.”
In a tweet posted in August 2019, shortly after the abrogation of Article 370, Ali Hosseini Khamenei claimed, “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.“
A similar tweet followed in March 2020 – “The hearts of Muslims all over the world are grieving over the massacre of Muslims in India. The govt of India should confront extremist Hindus & their parties & stop the massacre of Muslims in order to prevent India’s isolation from the world of Islam.“
“The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. 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,” Ali Hosseini Khamenei posted last year.
As such, it is evident that the Islamic Republic of Iran is not a ‘long-standing friend’ of India, especially when it comes to Jammu and Kashmir. Israel, on the other hand, has been a vocal supporter of India and has extended help to us during wars against Pakistan.
Sonia Gandhi’s article in The Hindu, demonising Israel and eulogising Iran, has less to do with geopolitics and more to do with ideological alignment with its core vote bank within the country ahead of elections.
The Israel-Iran conflict provided a window of opportunity to the Congress to signal its Muslim supporters that the grand-old-party is on the side of Ummah in conflict with ‘Yahudi’ Israel. This also explains why Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had earlier lashed out at Israeli government earlier in March this year.
Sonia Gandhi, in her opinion piece, blamed the Modi government for not choosing sides during the Israel-Iran conflict.
“In the face of this humanitarian catastrophe, the Narendra Modi government has all but abandoned India’s long-standing and principled commitment to a peaceful two-state solution, one that envisions a sovereign, independent Palestine living side-by-side with Israel in mutual security and dignity,” she alleged.
“New Delhi’s silence on the devastation in Gaza and now on the unprovoked escalation against Iran reflects a disturbing departure from our moral and diplomatic traditions. This represents not just a loss of voice but also a surrender of values.
It is still not too late. India must speak clearly, act responsibly, and use every diplomatic channel available to defuse tensions and promote a return to dialogue in West Asia,” the former Congress Chairperson concluded.
The stance of the Modi government on global conflicts
Unlike the Congress party that is willing to jeopardise diplomatic relations to pacify its domestic vote bank, the Modi government has exerted caution, restraint and showcased strategic balance in the face of global conflicts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has time and again reiterated that India is on the side of peace. During the Ukraine-Russia war, India has refused to side with either of the two countries. This was despite the pressure from Western countries, which was exacerbating the war by supplying arms to Ukraine.
The repeated appeal for peace, calls for de-escalation, resulted in Russia providing crude oil at cheaper rates amid a global energy crunch. India was also successful in creating safe passages for Indian nationals in both Russia and Ukraine and airlifting them home under ‘Operation Ganga.’
A similar script was followed during the Israel-Hamas War. India unequivocally condemned terror outfit Hamas and its dastardly attack on Israeli civilians but sent humanitarian support for the Palestinian people.
India refrained from voting on any resolution on the conflict and has made its stance clear in response to a question asked in the Indian Parliament.
“India’s policy towards Palestine has been long standing and consistent. We have supported a negotiated two State solution, towards establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine within secure and recognized borders, living side by side in peace with Israel,” the Modi government said in February 2024.
It further added, “India has strongly condemned the terror attacks on Israel on 07 October 2023 and the loss of civilian lives in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. We have called for restraint and de-escalation and emphasized peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. We have also called for release of remaining hostages. Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister have spoken to several leaders, including President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Israel and the President and Foreign Minister of Palestine. External Affairs Minister met the Foreign Minister of Palestine on 20 January 2024 in Kampala and reiterated India’s support for a two State solution.“
Amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, India has showcased a delicate balance and used its diplomatic relations to evacuate Indian nationals stranded in both countries under ‘Operation Sindhu’.
India has maintained strong defence, intelligence, and trade with Israel, including annual military hardware (missiles, drones, surveillance) imports of over $2 billion. At the same time, it is working closely with Iran on key strategic and economic projects such as the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and Chabahar Port, besides enhancing trade.
The conflict in the Middle East is multi-faceted, complex and complicated. A neutral, diplomatic stance, as showcased by the Modi government in the face of external pressure, is the reason why India continues to benefit from all sides.
For instance, a total of 8 Islamic countries, namely, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Palestine, Maldives, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Kuwait, have felicitated Prime Minister Narendra Modi with their civilian awards. These include –
- Order of King Abdulaziz (2016) – Second-highest civilian award of Saudi Arabia
- Order of Amanullah Khan (2016) – Highest civilian award of Afghanistan
- Order of the State of Palestine (2018) – Highest civilian award of Palestine
- Order of Izzuddin (2019) – Highest civilian award of Maldives given to foreign dignitaries.
- Order of Zayed (2019) – Highest civilian award of United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- Order of the Renaissance (2019) – Third highest civilian award of Bahrain
- Order of the Nile (2023) – Highest civilian award of Egypt
- Order of Mubarak the Great (2024) – Highest civilian award of Kuwait
Conclusion
These awards are a testament to the diplomatic balance, the strong personality of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the growing influence of India in the world order.
Had India been actively choosing sides and resorted to partisanship in global conflicts, we would have had to bear the brunt of hampered trade relations, alienation of friendly nations and unintentional entanglement in wars that we did not start.
While Congress party can blame Modi government for not choosing sides in the Iran-Israel conflict or the Israel-Hamas war, in hindsight, it was/ is and continues to remain the best decision for India.
