Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday targeted the Centre after a US submarine sank an Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, warning that the conflict in West Asia poses serious risks for India’s energy security.In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said the world was entering a turbulent phase and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of saying “nothing”.“The world has entered a volatile phase. Stormy seas lie ahead. India’s oil supplies are under threat, with more than 40% of our imports transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The situation is even worse for LPG and LNG,” Rahul Gandhi wrote.Rahul also referred to the sinking of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which had recently taken part in the Indian Navy’s Milan naval exercise before heading back through the Indian Ocean.“The conflict has reached our backyard, with an Iranian warship sunk in the Indian Ocean. Yet the Prime Minister has said nothing,” he said.Calling for stronger leadership in the face of growing geopolitical tensions, Rahul said the country needed a firm and steady response.“At a moment like this, we need a steady hand at the wheel,” he wrote.“Instead, India has a compromised PM who has surrendered our strategic autonomy,” Rahul said.The remarks came after the US Navy sank the Iranian Moudge-class frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean earlier this week using a Mark-48 torpedo launched from a submarine, an attack that reportedly killed dozens of sailors.Iran has strongly condemned the strike, calling it an “atrocity at sea” and warning that the United States would “bitterly regret” the precedent set by attacking the vessel. Iranian officials also pointed out that the frigate had recently visited India as part of naval engagements linked to the Milan exercise.The incident comes amid a rapidly widening conflict in West Asia, with missiles, drones and rockets being exchanged across Iran, Israel and other parts of the region.
