Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday stated that continued aerial bombardment of Iran by the United States and Israel would achieve nothing constructive on the ground and would certainly not succeed in forcing regime change in Tehran.
He strongly condemned the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint US-Israeli strikes, an act that has triggered a full-scale war between Iran and the Israel-United States alliance.
Omar described Khamenei’s killing as a grave violation of the rules-based international order and international law, which he said US President Donald Trump has been undermining since returning to office in January 2025.
Quoting the British Prime Minister, he said, "The only people who get to choose their regime are the people who live in that country... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is absolutely correct. You cannot effect regime change by aerial bombardment.”
He added, "They have sacrificed the life of a religious leader, whose leadership was acknowledged not just by the Shia community but by Muslims across the world. That is not regime change. That is a gross misuse of force and violation of every single international law.”
The Chief Minister’s remarks follow similar strong condemnation from his father, National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah, who had earlier denounced the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei.
Other prominent political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, including People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, have also criticised the United States and Israel, describing their military campaign against Iran as a genocidal war.
Follow us
