New Delhi (PTI): Amid the US-Israel-Iran conflict, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must speak up and answer as to whether he supports the assassination of a head of state as a way to define the world order.

He said the unilateral attacks on Iran, as well as Iran's attacks on other Middle Eastern nations, must be condemned.

"Silence now diminishes India’s standing in the world," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said on X.

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His remarks come days after Iran confirmed that its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been assassinated in targeted strikes carried out the previous day by the United States and Israel.

Gandhi said escalating hostilities between the United States, Israel and Iran are pushing a fragile region toward wider conflict.

Crores of people, including nearly a crore Indians, face uncertainty, he said.

"While security concerns are real, attacks that violate sovereignty will only worsen the crisis. The unilateral attacks on Iran, as well as Iran's attacks on other Middle Eastern nations, must be condemned. Violence begets violence -- dialogue and restraint remain the only path to peace," the former Congress chief said.

"India must be morally clear. We should have the courage to speak plainly in defence of international law and human lives. Our foreign policy is rooted in sovereignty and the peaceful resolution of disputes -- and it must remain consistent," Gandhi said.

He said PM Modi must speak up.

Does he support the assassination of a head of state as a way to define the world order, Gandhi asked.

The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, with US President Donald Trump calling on the Iranian public to seize control of their destiny and rise against the Islamic leadership that has ruled their country since 1979.

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Kozhikode (Kerala)(PTI): Former Union Minister K P Unnikrishnan, who was regarded as one of the prominent figures in Indian politics during the 1980s and 1990s, died in the early hours of Tuesday, his family said.

He was 89.

He died while undergoing treatment for age-related ailments at a private hospital here, they said.

Having been elected to the Lok Sabha six consecutive times from Vadakara, he served as a Union Minister in the V P Singh Cabinet, holding the portfolios of Surface Transport and Communications during 1989–90.

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During his tenure as Minister, he oversaw the evacuation of Indians during the Gulf War.

Beginning his professional life as a journalist, Unnikrishnan was first elected to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara in 1971 as a Congress candidate.

He subsequently represented the constituency in the Lok Sabha in 1977, 1980, 1984, 1989 and 1991.

Between 1981 and 1984, he served as the leader of Congress (Secular) in Parliament, and from 1980 to 1982 he was a member of the Public Accounts Committee.

A close associate of V K Krishna Menon, Unnikrishnan was at one time a trusted confidant of Indira Gandhi.

However, he later left the Congress following political differences.

He was active in the Congress (U) and Congress (S) before returning to the Congress in 1995.

Born on September 20, 1936, he was educated at Madras Christian College in Chennai and completed his law degree from that city.

During this period, he was associated with the Socialist Party and later the Praja Socialist Party.

In the 1960s, he joined the Indian National Congress and became a member of the All India Congress Committee in 1962.