As US-Israeli strikes on Iran have reshaped West Asia and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, India’s Congress party has launched a full-throated campaign accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “betrayal,” “moral cowardice,” and abandoning a long-time ally. The irony is crushing and it is grounded in documented history.
This is the same Congress party that spent 26 days in studied silence in August 2013 when Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps illegally seized MT Desh Shanti, a government-owned Indian vessel, in international waters, confined 25 Indian crew members for nearly a month, and faced not a single press conference, not a single demand for accountability, not a single statement of condemnation from the Manmohan Singh government.
The Congress party and leaders of the I.N.D.I. bloc mounted a coordinated attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over India’s response to the reported assassination of Ali Khamenei. Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the killing and described the Modi government’s response as a failure, while Priyanka Gandhi called the assassination “despicable” and accused Modi of aligning with Israeli and US leadership. Jairam Ramesh termed the government’s stance a “betrayal of India’s values, principles, concerns, and interests,” and described the Prime Minister’s address at the Knesset as “shameful moral cowardice.”
Rahul Gandhi questioned whether the Prime Minister supported the assassination of a head of state and said India should have the courage to speak plainly in defence of international law.
Meanwhile, Sonia Gandhi wrote an op-ed in The Indian Express describing India’s silence as a “tacit endorsement” and an “abdication” of the country’s values. The Congress and other I.N.D.I. bloc parties have also demanded a full parliamentary debate, calling for both the Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to explain the government’s foreign policy position in both Houses of Parliament.
August 2013: Iran Seizes an Indian Government Ship – Congress Does Nothing
In August 2013, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps intercepted MT Desh Shanti, a vessel belonging to the state-run Shipping Corporation of India, in international waters in the Persian Gulf. The ship was carrying crude from Basra to India. It was forcibly escorted to Bandar Abbas. The Indian Council of World Affairs subsequently documented the seizure occurred 400 nautical miles from the alleged pollution site – a clear violation of UNCLOS and international law.
The 25 Indian crew members were confined for 26 days without adequate food and water. The ship’s captain told Times Now that multiple Iranian inspections produced no evidence for their charges. The crew was released only after India summoned the Iranian Ambassador twice quietly, without any public pressure campaign and leveraged the fact that India had Iran’s own vessel Diyanat detained in Mundra port since 2012.
Throughout those 26 days, the Congress government under Manmohan Singh:
- Held no press conference condemning Iran’s illegal seizure of a government vessel
- Made no public statement demanding accountability from Tehran
- Issued no declaration calling the seizure a violation of international law
- Expressed no outrage about 25 Indian nationals confined in Iranian custody
The episode was handled with such complete silence that most Indians never knew it had happened.
For Congress, Iran Is Only a Cause When Modi Is in Power
The Congress party’s position on Iran’s conduct toward India is entirely determined by who sits in the Prime Minister’s office – not by any principle of international law, Indian sovereignty, or the welfare of Indian nationals.
When Congress was in power and Iran physically seized an Indian government ship in international waters and confined Indian crew for nearly a month – silence. Appeasement. Quiet diplomacy. No outrage. No press conferences. India-Iran relations were described as being “celebrated” even as the tanker sat in Bandar Abbas.
When Modi is in power and India maintains strategic ambiguity over a US-Israeli military operation – suddenly Congress discovers that India must “speak plainly”, must “have the courage”, must not “betray” Iran, must condemn assassinations, must defend international law.
Jairam Ramesh, who now calls Narendra Modi’s stance a “betrayal of India’s values,” was a senior Congress leader in 2013 but did not publicly question Iran’s seizure of the Indian vessel MT Desh Shanti. Likewise, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, who are now criticising the government’s position, did not raise similar questions when the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government had no public response to Iran detaining the ship and its 25 Indian crew members.
What Modi Has Actually Done
In contrast to Congress’s characterisation, the Modi government’s response to the Iran war has been anything but passive:
- Modi expressed “deep concern” over the escalating conflict and called for dialogue and diplomacy on 2 March 2026.
- In a call with Israeli PM Netanyahu, Modi called for “early cessation of hostilities” and stressed civilian safety.
- Modi condemned the attack on the UAE and expressed solidarity with Abu Dhabi.
- EAM Jaishankar briefed the Rajya Sabha on India’s West Asia policy on 8 March 2026.
- India has been focused on protecting nearly one crore Indian nationals in the Gulf region.
India has not condemned Iran, but it has also not endorsed the strikes.
The Real Question
When Iran illegally seized an Indian government ship in 2013 and held 25 Indian sailors hostage for 26 days, Congress called it diplomacy.
When Modi calls for ceasefire and civilian protection while managing the interests of one crore Indians across a war zone, Congress calls it betrayal.
The party that spent 26 days doing nothing while Iranian forces held Indian government property and Indian nationals in illegal detention has no standing to lecture anyone about defending India’s values, India’s interests, or India’s dignity in its relationship with Iran.
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
