NEW DELHI — In a significant diplomatic gesture on Thursday, March 5, 2026, the Government of India officially conveyed its sympathies to the Islamic Republic of Iran following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi to sign the formal condolence book, marking India’s first high-level symbolic response since the 86-year-old leader was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike on February 28.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) released photographs of the Foreign Secretary in a solemn conversation with the Iranian Ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali. While the Indian government has consistently advocated for a resolution to the widening West Asia crisis through “dialogue and diplomacy,” it had notably refrained from issuing a direct political reaction to the assassination itself over the past five days. Misri’s visit is seen as a strategic move to maintain India’s “civilizational partnership” with Tehran while navigating the complex geopolitical tensions involving its strategic allies, the United States and Israel.
The visit assumes added domestic significance following sharp criticism from several opposition parties, who had accused the Prime Minister’s administration of being “timid” for not immediately acknowledging the passing of a head of state with whom India shared deep energy and security ties. This diplomatic outreach occurs amidst reports that the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, a recent guest of the Indian Navy at Exercise Milan, was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine near Sri Lanka. As Iran continues its transition without a newly elected Supreme Leader, New Delhi’s formal expression of grief serves to stabilize bilateral communication during one of the most volatile periods in modern Middle Eastern history.
