From Vajpayee’s outreach to Modi Govt’s ‘silence’ on Khamenei killing — A timeline of India–Iran ties since 1950s

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said the Union government's silence on the targeted ‘assassination’ of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not a neutral stand but an abdication.

The former Congress president, in an article published in The Indian Express, said that the government’s stance raises serious doubts about the direction and credibility of India's foreign policy.

Gandhi invoked former prime minister and veteran BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee in her article. The present government would do well to remember that in April 2001, the then prime minister, Vajpayee, during an official visit to Tehran, warmly reaffirmed India's deep ties with Iran, both civilisational and contemporary, Gandhi said.

The 1998–2004 period under the then PM Vajpayee is often called the "Golden Age" of India-Iran relations.

As the conflict in the Middle East escalates after US-Israel strikes on Iran, the opposition in India has raised many questions on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government over its ‘silence’ over the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

PM Modi has expressed concern over the current situation in West Asia, asserting that India believes that disputes must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

PM Modi spoke with leaders in the region, including Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of UAE, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain and the Saudi Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman and condemned the attacks on these countries by Iran.

But PM Modi or any of his cabinet colleagues have not issued a statement on Khamenei’s death so far.

Congress has been questioning the alleged silence of the Union government on the ‘targeted assassination’ of Khameini and other Iranian leaders for many days now. “It is a complete betrayal of all that India has stood for. India has never before looked this weak,” Congress leader Pawan Khera said in a post earlier.

Modi speaks with Netanyahu

PM Modi has spoken about the crisis in the Middle East but has refrained from commenting on Iran. Instead, the prime minister spoke to leaders in the region and condemned Iran's retaliatory attacks after US-Israel strikes.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Modi spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the US-Israel strikes and called for an early cessation of hostilities and conveyed India’s concerns over recent developments. PM Modi also spoke with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and strongly criticised the Iranian attacks.

On Monday, Prime Minister Modi said he spoke with the Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the Saudi Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman and condemned the attacks on both these countries by Iran

But there has not been any official statement from India or PM Modi on Khamenei’s death during the US-Israel attacks.

Clearly, amid the escalating conflict in Iran, the Modi government seems to have shifted its focus from ‘civilizational ties and trade (like the Chabahar Port) to urgent calls for de-escalation, dialogue, and civilian safety.

But why this shift? Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh recalled how PM Modi had declared one day of national mourning after the death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed along with seven in a helicopter crash in Azerbaijan in May 2024.

“Modi ji, what happened today? You had declared a national mourning for the death of Iran's President. You're not even mustering the courage to tweet a single condolence for the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei, because America is responsible for it,” Singh said in a post.

India, experts said, is seemingly maintaining a ‘strategic autonomy’ approach—balancing its historical friendship with Iran against its deepening security partnerships with Israel and the UAE. PM Modi was in Israel last month, where he received a warm welcome from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and other members of the parliament.

And it is not a first shift in the ties. Over the years, the relationship between India and Iran has been a geopolitical rollercoaster, shifting from Cold War friction to strategic partnerships, and now to a complex balancing act under the Modi government.

To understand India-Iran ties, let's take a look at the historical ties that the two countries have had since the 1950s:

1. The Shah Era (1950s–1979)

During the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the ties between the two nations were defined by opposing global alignments. India was a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) with Soviet leanings, while the Shah’s Iran was a staunch US ally and a member of the pro-Western Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO) alliance.

Iran was a close military ally of Pakistan. During the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars, Iran provided Pakistan with logistical and material support, which strained Tehran's ties with New Delhi.

Relations between India and Iran, however, saw a reset in the mid-1970s, with then-prime minister Indira Gandhi visiting Tehran in 1974 and the Shah visiting Delhi four years later.

On Monday, continuing its criticism of the Modi government's silence, the Congress party invoked former prime minister Indira Gandhi's speech at the White House in the 1980s. “One friendship doesn't come in the way of another, Indira Gandhi said at the White House in 1982. That line defined India’s foreign policy for decades,” the Congress Kerala handle said, sharing former PM's speech at the White House in 1982.

2- The Islamic Revolution (1980s–1990s)

The 1979 Revolution initially created uncertainty, but eventually opened a door for India

The new theocratic regime’s “Neither East nor West” policy and its break with the US actually brought it closer to India’s non-aligned stance. Ties were tested by the Iran-Iraq War (where India remained neutral but had close ties to Iraq) and Iran’s early vocal support for the Kashmiri militancy.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, however, India and Iran found common ground in Afghanistan, where they jointly supported the Northern Alliance against the Pakistan-backed Taliban.

3. The Vajpayee Years (1998–2004)

This period under Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee as PM of India is often called the "Golden Age" of India-Iran relations:

PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit to Iran marked a shift toward a "strategic partnership", and the Tehran Declaration was signed in 2001. Iranian President Mohammad Khatami was the Chief Guest at Republic Day 2003, and the New Delhi Declaration was signed, which paved the way for Chabahar Port and energy cooperation under Prime Minister Vajpayee

There was a brief period when India and Iran even conducted joint naval exercises and discussed training Iranian military personnel.

4. The UPA Era (2004–2014)

Under Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister, the India-Iran relationship faced complications. To secure the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal, India famously voted against Iran at the IAEA regarding its nuclear program in 2005. This was seen in Tehran as a "betrayal."

The US sanctions made it difficult for India to pay for Iranian oil. India had to resort to a complex "rupee-rial" payment mechanism through UCO Bank to keep trade alive.

UCO Bank, a Kolkata-based Indian public sector bank, has historically acted as the primary banker for bilateral trade between India and Iran, specifically facilitating oil import payments via a "Rupee Payment Mechanism" since 2012.

The ambitious Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline was effectively shelved during this time due to security and pricing concerns.

5. The Modi Years (2014 till today)

Analysts see PM Modi's approach as a sign of the policy of ‘strategic autonomy’, aimed at decoupling the Iran relationship from the US and Israel.

PM Modi’s 2016 visit to Tehran was a milestone. He had signed a trilateral agreement with Iran and Afghanistan to develop Chabahar, bypassing Pakistan.

India, however, stopped importing Iranian oil in 2019, causing a significant dip in economic engagement. In 2024, PM Modi congratulated Iran’s newly elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, on his electoral win.

On the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, PM Modi met the newly elected Iranian President. He highlighted the Chabahar Port as a pillar of bilateral ties and a gateway for landlocked Central Asian countries.

In February 2026, Modi sent a congratulatory message for the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, noting that India-Iran relations are rooted in "deep civilizational, historical, and linguistic ties

But in the wake of the recent 2026 escalations in the Middle East after US-Israel strikes, the focus has been more on regional stability. advocating for an end to hostilities.