As Modi embraces Israel, Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei urges support for "oppressed Muslims" of Kashmir

NEW DELHI: For the second time in a week, Iran's 'supreme leader' Ayatollah Khamenei made comments about Kashmir, urging support for its "oppressed Muslims", reported the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Khamenei's timing is noteworthy, as his comments came in the run-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel, which is no friend of Iran's. Further, with India and Iran squabbling over a gas field, and India's tilt toward Riyadh, Indo-Iran ties are suddenly not looking too high on New Delhi's agenda .

In 2010, when Khamenei spoke of Kashmir, India summoned the then acting Iranian Ambassador to register its protest. So far, there has been no statement from New Delhi on Khamenei's latest comments. Khamenei on Monday urged Iran's judiciary to "express its firm support or opposition" on several Muslim-related issues including "oppressed personalities like (Nigerian Shiite leader) Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky or Muslims of Myanmar and Kashmir", IRNA reported.



Before this, he mentioned Kashmir was during an Eid address on June 26. "Everyone should openly support people of Yemen, Bahrain and Kashmir," said Khamenei, according to the headline to a news item posted on one of his web sites, English.khamenei.ir.

"Conflicts in Yemen, Bahrain, problems in all Islamic countries, are major wounds on the body of Islam. The World of Islam should explicitly support the people of Yemen, and express their disdain against the oppressors who've attacked the people in such horrible ways during the month of Ramadan....The same is true for the people of Bahrain and Kashmir: Our people can back this great movement within the World of Islam," he said.


In 2010, Khamenei called Kashmir a "nation" said it is the "duty" of the world's Muslims to assist it. "The major duties of the elite of the Islamic Ummah is to provide help to the Palestinian nation and the besieged people of Gaza, to sympathise and provide assistance to the nations of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Kashmir, to engage in struggle and resistance against the aggressions of the United States and the Zionist regime," he had said.