Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday asked the Indian government to confront what he called “extremists and their parties”, saying the hearts of Muslims all over the world are “grieving” over the recent communal violence in Delhi.
His remarks comes two days after India summoned Iran’sAmbassador Ali Chegeni in New Delhi and lodged a strong protest over the”unwarranted” comments by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif overcommunal violence in the national capital.
“The hearts of Muslims all over the world are grievingover the massacre of Muslims in India. The govt of India should confrontextremists and their parties & stop the massacre of Muslims in order toprevent India’s isolation from the world of Islam,” Khamenei tweeted.
Khamenei, who controls all major security and foreign policydecisions, tweeted in English, Urdu, Persian and Arabic along with a photographof a child grieving over the body of a man who was killed in the recentviolence in Delhi.
In a tweet on Monday, Zarif said Iran condemned the”wave of organised violence against Indian Muslims” and urged Indianauthorities to “not let senseless thuggery” prevail.Nextday, India summoned Iranian Ambassador Chegeni and conveyed to him that Zarif’s”selective and tendentious” characterisation of incidents in Delhiare not acceptable.