Owaisi Condemns Killing of Ayatollah Khamenei, Calls It Immoral and Illegal, Urges India to Act

Hyderabad, March 2026 : The president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Asaduddin Owaisi, on Sunday strongly denounced the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, describing it as both immoral and unlawful. Addressing the media in Hyderabad, Owaisi said such an act violated international norms and would have far-reaching consequences for West Asia and beyond.

Speaking on behalf of his party, Owaisi expressed condolences to the Shia community across the world, noting that Ayatollah Khamenei was regarded as their spiritual and political leader. He said the killing had deeply hurt religious sentiments and further destabilised an already volatile region.

The AIMIM leader sharply criticised the United States and Israel for launching attacks on Iran, particularly at a time when diplomatic engagement was underway. “These attacks are absolutely condemnable, especially when talks between Iran and the United States were going on in Geneva,” Owaisi said. He added that military action in the middle of negotiations undermined the very idea of diplomacy and peaceful conflict resolution.

Owaisi directly blamed Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu for jointly ordering the strikes. He said the attacks reflected a complete disregard for humanitarian values, pointing out that they were carried out during the holy month of Ramzan. “They did not even care that it is Ramzan. In any case, Netanyahu does not believe in humanity,” he remarked.

He argued that if diplomatic efforts in Geneva had been allowed to continue, there was a possibility of a breakthrough. According to Owaisi, Iran might have agreed to certain limitations on its nuclear stockpiles through negotiations, which could have reduced regional tensions without bloodshed.

Highlighting the human cost of the conflict, Owaisi said more than 200 people had been killed in the attacks on Iran. He specifically referred to reports that 108 girls lost their lives when a strike hit a girls’ school, calling it a “horrifying and unforgivable tragedy.” He demanded an immediate halt to hostilities, warning that continued violence would plunge the entire region into chaos and instability.

Owaisi also urged India to take a principled stand and play an active diplomatic role in ending the conflict. “We hope that the present BJP government will condemn the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei and do everything possible to stop this war,” he said. Stressing India’s strategic and humanitarian interests, he reminded that nearly 10 million Indians live and work in Gulf countries, whose safety could be jeopardised if the conflict escalates further.

He further revealed that reports had emerged of Indian workers being injured at an Oman port amid the unrest. Additionally, he said many Indian pilgrims who had travelled for Umra were stranded due to flight cancellations and were facing financial difficulties. According to him, these developments underscored how ordinary civilians were bearing the brunt of geopolitical confrontations.

Warning of long-term consequences, Owaisi said the war would not end quickly if allowed to continue. Calling it an illegal war, he argued that Iran posed no immediate threat that justified such large-scale military action. “This was about coercing Iran, and that will have very bad consequences. We are underestimating the fallout. This is not going to end easily,” he cautioned.

He also dismissed the notion that the killing of Khamenei would lead to regime change in Iran, as envisaged by Trump and Netanyahu. Drawing a broader comparison, Owaisi said Israel and Pakistan shared a pattern of destabilising their neighbours. He accused Netanyahu’s government of being responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians, calling it a “genocidal regime” that repeatedly indulges in aggression and mischief in the region.

Concluding his remarks, Owaisi reiterated that peace, dialogue and respect for international law were the only viable paths forward, warning that continued militarism would only deepen suffering across West Asia.