‘Thank you, India’ to ‘Thank you, Kashmiris’: How Iran buckled on Kashmir to appease anti-India voices after seeking donations from Indians

From “Thank you, India” to “Thank you, Kashmiris”, the embassy of war-torn Iran in India has demonstrated diplomatic sloppiness, hypocrisy, and a lack of courage to unapologetically acknowledge the sovereignty of a country it calls ‘friend’. Amidst the war between the joint front of Israel and the US against Iran, the country has received immense financial and moral support from Indians, particularly, Kashmiri Shia Muslims. The Iranian embassy in India recently expressed gratitude to India for this support in times of crisis, only to cave into insignificant backlash from Pakistanis and their Indian echo chamber online. On 22nd March, Iran in India, quoted an X post that shared visuals of Indian Kashmiris donating cash, jewellery, utensils, artefacts, and other valuables for the war-hit Iran. In the post, the Iranian embassy wrote, “With hearts full of gratitude, we sincerely thank the kind people of Kashmir for standing with the people of Iran through their humanitarian support and heartfelt solidarity; this kindness will never be forgotten. Thank you, India: Iran in India.” Iran in India’s now-deleted X post The Iranian embassy’s heartfelt gratitude towards India attracted mainstream media coverage, highlighting the strong relations between the two nations in the midst of testing times. Within hours, however, several Pakistanis and pro-Pakistan elements on the Indian side of the border erupted in outrage with their usual “Kashmir is not India” whining. Thanking India was diplomatically, factually and logically correct, yet, instead of standing its ground, the Iranian embassy in India, soon caved in and deleted the “Thank you, India” post and has since published on separate, narrowed thanks specifically to “the kind people of Kashmir”, in a deliberate extrication of any reference that acknowledges Kashmir as part of India. Screenshot of the Iranian embassy’s said post after deletion While one agrees with the Mullah regime in Iran or not is a separate debate, it is indisputable that they have given a tough time and handed significant embarrassment to the US-Israel front by now succumbing so far; however, this same courage seems to be missing in their representatives in India. The Iranian mission in India’s deletion of the post expressing gratitude to India, and treatment of Kashmir as a standalone entity, due to Islamist pressure, is a blatant disrespect to India’s sovereignty and ‘friendship’ between the two nations. India has not forgotten that slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei used to echo Pakistan’s narrative on Kashmir. However, the Islamic Republic’s embassy is accredited to the Republic of India in New Delhi. Jammu and Kashmir, being an integral part of India, under the Indian Constitution and law, is the established, incontestable geopolitical reality. Like that of any other country, the Iranian embassy in India is expected to respect this reality. By caving to external pressure, that too from Pakistan, which has illegally occupied parts of India’s Jammu and Kashmir and retroactively ‘correcting’ its own grateful words, is essentially an endorsement of Pakistan’s illegitimate claim and fantasy over India’s right and reality. The Iranian mission in New Delhi needs to answer whether it has decided to take sides against the host nation. The Iranian embassy’s hypocrisy is amusing. They had no qualms about setting up an Indian bank account, publicising a QR code, and actively soliciting donations from Indian citizens, including Kashmiris. They were also perfectly fine with accepting Indian goodwill, rupees, and gold when it suited them; however, the moment acknowledging India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty became politically inconvenient on social media, they folded. Iranian embassy officials need to understand that they cannot pocket the aid and then pretend the donor’s country does not fully include the region from where the aid and the goodwill came. This is not just hypocrisy; this is a textbook case of diplomatic cowardice that perhaps the Indian government should consider calling out. Driven by religious ‘Ummah’ sentiments, Indian Muslims, not just Kashmiris, have been pouring in their personal savings into Iran’s coffers as an expression of solidarity. The Iranian mission succumbing to online backlash from anti-India elements and erasing India from its gratitude towards the Indian people is a disrespect towards the very people opening their purses and hearts for a war-hit Iran. The quiet deletion of the ‘Thank you, India’ post and subsequent careful omission of the host country’s name while acknowledging donations and support from Indian Kashmiris is not realpolitik but a disgraceful display of shabby and unprofessional conduct of the Iranian mission. India has been one of the few countries that has consistently maintained good bilateral and strategic relations with Iran despite sanctions. Jammu and Kashmir, being an inalienable part of India, is non-negotiable, India’s red line. If Iranian officials in India succumb to online pressure over Kashmir, particularly from India’s hostile neighbour, Pakistan, they are only showing that they are willing to trade their diplomatic spine for the appeasement of anti-India elements.