Killing of Khamenei and attack on Iran signal the revival of regime-change doctrine and coercive unilateralism: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday (March 1, 2026) condemned the “targeted assassination” of Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, without a formal declaration of war by the United States and Israel.

In an unequivocal statement, the Congress president extended his condolences to Khamenei’s family, the people of Iran and the global Shia community, and reiterated India’s long-standing commitment to peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and respect for international law.

“The targeted use of force to destabilise the leadership and governing structures of a sovereign state—whether in Iran or earlier in Venezuela—signals a disturbing revival of regime-change doctrines and coercive unilateralism,” Mr. Kharge said in a statement. He added, “It also contravenes the United Nations Charter — especially Article 2(4), which expressly prohibits “the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” and Article 2(7), which forbids intervention in matters essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state”.

The Congress president further said, “A targeted killing of a sitting head of state strikes at the heart of these international rules. Sovereignty is not conditional, and political legitimacy cannot be manufactured through force.”

Stressing upon principles such as vasudhaiva kutumbakam and ahimsa, the party argued that targeted use of force against the leadership of a sovereign state — carried out without a formal declaration of war — undermines India’s foundational values.