India Condoles Khamenei Death; Jaishankar Calls Iran’s Araghchi as Modi Expands West Asia Outreach With Global Leaders

India has issued its first formal condolence over the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar holding a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visiting the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi to sign the condolence book on behalf of the Government of India. 

Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri visited the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran; Via: MEA India

Jaishankar confirmed the call, while visuals from the embassy showed Misri interacting with the Iranian envoy and recording India’s message of condolence. This marks New Delhi’s first official, government-level gesture since Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike on Tehran.

The condolence step landed amid India’s widening diplomatic engagement across West Asia as the conflict escalates and risks spreading further into the Gulf and the wider region where India has major people-and-supply-chain exposure. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has in recent days held calls with multiple regional leaders, including the Sultan of Oman, the Crown Prince of Kuwait and the Amir of Qatar. He discussed the evolving security situation and the welfare of Indian nationals. 

In parallel, Modi today spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, with the Prime Minister saying the two discussed shared concerns over developments in West Asia and the need to return to dialogue and diplomacy, and that they would stay closely engaged and coordinate efforts toward early restoration of peace and stability.

Taken together, the condolence call to Tehran and the sustained outreach to Gulf capitals and key partners shows India’s effort to hold multiple lines at once. 

These include preserving channels with Iran even as it deepens coordination with countries hosting large Indian communities and critical commercial routes, and reinforcing its publicly stated emphasis on de-escalation through diplomacy. 

In his March 5 press statement alongside Finland’s President, Modi again stated India’s position that no issue can be resolved solely through military conflict and that India would continue to support efforts aimed at an early end to conflict and the restoration of peace, explicitly referencing both Ukraine and West Asia. 

This is the language that aligns with the government’s broader crisis messaging as it sails through the war’s intensifying regional spillover.