Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi penned an article earlier this week (‘Government’s silence on killing of Iran leader is not neutral, it is abdication’, IE, March 3) criticising the Indian government for not condoling the death of the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Writing that “impartiality is abandoned”, she went on to question “the direction and credibility of our foreign policy”.

The Iran conflict needs to be viewed in the wider regional and geostrategic context. In times of such conflicts, it is not enough to be neutral; it is also necessary to be seen to be impartial. That’s why on two recent occasions — the US operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and its attack on Iran leading to a large number of casualties including that of the supreme leader — the Indian government toed the same line. It expressed “deep concern” and called for “dialogue and diplomacy”. It urged “all sides” to “exercise restraint, avoid escalation and prioritise the safety of civilians”.

India and Iran share cordial relations at the government and people level. However, due protocols, geopolitical realities and geostrategic interests cannot be sacrificed at the altar of emotions and euphoria. Iran follows a governance model unfamiliar to the rest of the world. It is an opaque model of theocracy following the ninth-century Twelver Shia tradition, according to which the 12th Imam of the Shia community, Imam Mahdi,........

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