Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged India on Thursday to “confront extremist Hindus” and “stop the massacre of Muslims”, adding to the international fallout over deadly anti-Muslim violence in New Delhi.

Dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured, while at least two mosques were attacked in the worst communal riots in the Indian capital in decades, triggered by clashes between supporters of a new citizenship law and those against it.

“The hearts of Muslims all over the world are grieving over the massacre of Muslims in India,” Khamenei said in a tweet in English, just days after New Delhi rebuked Iran’s foreign minister for commenting on the same issue.

The hearts of Muslims all over the world are grieving over the massacre of Muslims in India. The govt of India should confront extremist Hindus & their parties & stop the massacre of Muslims in order to prevent India’s isolation from the world of Islam.#IndianMuslimslnDanger

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) March 5, 2020

“Iran condemns the wave of organised violence against Indian Muslims,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Monday, in response to which New Delhi summoned the Iran’s ambassador and lodged a protest.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani also expressed concern about the plight of Muslims in the South Asian nation, and urged the Indian government to prevent sectarian violence in the country. Larijani said that the new law was a contravention of Muslim rights.

Shahzad Masood Roomi

Shahzad Masood Roomi is founding member and, editor security and geopolitics at GCW. He is IT graduate and has more than 10 years experience of being a  geopolitics and defense affairs analyst. He focuses on IR, geopolitics, strategic studies, maritime security, cybersecurity issues, military aviation, history and geography. His work has published in national and international media outlets.