Our interests not served by grandstanding: Shashi Tharoor backs govt on Iran war

Backing the Modi government for its strategic silence on the Middle East conflict, Tharoor argued against "moral grandstanding". He said restraint protects national interests and keeps channels of communication open.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor once again broke ranks with his party, endorsing the Modi government’s position on the US-Israel-Iran war, calling it "responsible statecraft" rather than a moral retreat.

In an article in the Indian Express, Tharoor acknowledged that the conflict cannot be justified under international law and violates principles India has long upheld, including sovereignty and non-aggression. Yet, he argued that New Delhi’s restraint reflects strategic prudence.

"Silence, in this context, is not cowardice," he wrote. "It is a sober recognition of the interconnectedness of our national interests with the realities of the region."

His stance was at odds with his party’s. Since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran last month, killing scores of civilians and top leaders like Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Congress called out the government for not denouncing the war outright.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said India must be “morally clear” in condemning unilateral military action, while ex-Congress chief Sonia Gandhi panned the government’s silence on Khamenei’s assassination as “not a neutral position but its abdication.”

Tharoor himself noted that India fumbled its response by issuing very belated condolences on Khamenei’s killing. However, he argued that the government shouldn’t be condemned for choosing silence over confrontation.