Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh | Photo credit: AP
India maintained silence even a day after the killing of Hamas’ political chief. Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran Mr Haniya was killed in the incident on Wednesday morning. Sources here said the issue is sensitive as India has close ties with both Iran and Israel and also because Iranian authorities are yet to give details of the incident that led to Mr Haniya’s death.
Ismail Haniya died a few hours after taking part in a terrorist attack. Swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian Other international dignitaries, including Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, were also present. Officials declined to comment on whether the presence of Hamas leaders and those from Hezbollah, Houthis and Islamic Jihad at the event was a security concern for the Indian side. They indicated that the guests were invited by the Iranian government and were therefore not a cause of concern for Indian authorities.
Minister Gadkari returned on Wednesday after spending two days in Tehran. At the end of the event, President Pezeshkian posed for a group photo with guests that included Mr Gadkari as well as Haniyya and Islamic Jihad chief Ziad al-Nakhlah, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassim and Yemen’s Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam.
walking a tight rope
Mr Haniyeh was reportedly staying at the Saadabad Complex, an affluent neighbourhood in the northern part of the Iranian capital and Mr Gadkari was at a high-end hotel. The loud explosion that was reportedly heard in the northern part of the city was far away from the location of the Indian delegation, sources in the Indian community in Tehran told IANS. Hindu The overall situation in Tehran remains tense as Iran has declared three days of national mourning and authorities have restricted access to mobile internet, making internal communications difficult. Iran has a small Sikh community in Tehran and Bandar Abbas and about 4,000 Indians in Qom who are students in Islamic madrassas. An Indian source said that although Mr. Haniyeh’s death has highlighted international security challenges for Iran, the new government has economic issues to prioritise over anything else at the moment.
The attack in Tehran has once again shown the kind of difficulties India is facing in the West Asian region. Conflict in Gaza. India was one of the first countries to condemn the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, calling it a ‘terrorist attack’, but it has not officially declared Hamas a terrorist organisation. Israel’s outgoing ambassador to India Naor Gilon had urged India to declare Hamas a terrorist organisation. However, India chose to reiterate its support for a two-state formula to resolve the current conflict.