Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday praised Iran’s resilience in the face of escalating tensions with the United States, saying that India should take inspiration from Tehran’s courage and self-respect.
Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai, Raut said, “Iran has shown what self-respect and courage of a nation mean. It has never bowed down before anyone. We should learn from them.”
He noted that Iran has historically supported India, including during sensitive issues like Kashmir and conflict with Pakistan.
His comments come just days after the US carried out precision airstrikes on three major Iranian nuclear facilities under Operation Midnight Hammer. The strikes were in response to Iran’s retaliation against Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, which targeted Iranian military and nuclear assets. Iran responded by launching missiles at US bases in Qatar and Iraq, including Al Udeid Air Base, the largest American military base in the region.
Meanwhile, amid the ongoing regional conflict, the Indian government launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate nationals from conflict zones. On Tuesday, 292 Indians were brought home from Mashhad, Iran, bringing the total number of evacuees from Iran to 2,295.
Among those evacuated, Baljinder Kaur, a Hindi teacher in Iran for 21 years, expressed her gratitude, calling the evacuation efforts “a matter of pride.” Another evacuee, Ziva Jaffrey from Nagpur, said, “We were anxious when our flight on June 19 got cancelled, but reaching India has brought immense relief.”
The Ministry of External Affairs has reiterated that the safety of Indian nationals remains a top priority, as evacuations continue from both Iran and Israel.
