PDP president Mehbooba Mufti. File.
| Photo Credit: PTI

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday (January 16, 2026) called upon the people of Iran to stand united to defeat the “ploys” of the U.S. and Israel, and also appealed to the leadership in the Islamic Republic to address the grievances of the protesters there.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Ms. Mufti, a former Chief Minister of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, said the U.S. has a habit of intervening in other countries with an eye on their resources.

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“The U.S. has a habit of saying that they want to establish democracy in other countries by taking out leaderships there…which is totally wrong. Basically, the U.S. always wants to intervene because it eyes their resources like fuel, etc.,” she said.

She said the U.S. has “destroyed” several Muslim countries in the same manner by claiming that “atrocities” were being committed against the people in those nations.

“However, the biggest atrocities are being committed against the people in Gaza, but the US does not intervene there. I am happy that people came out on the roads in J&K, especially in Kashmir, in support of Iran,” she said, referring to demonstrations in many parts of Kashmir after the Friday prayers.

Ms. Mufti called upon the people of Iran to understand the U.S. and Israel’s designs.

“I hope the people of Iran understand that the U.S. and Israel are friends of no one but are the biggest enemies of the Muslims. They eye only petrol and other resources in these countries,” Ms. Mufti asserted.

If the people of Iran become trapped in the ploys of the US and Israel, then their condition will be worse than Syria, the PDP chief said.

She added everyone has grievances with their government, and the government also should address those grievances, “but the people [of Iran] should understand and stand united to defeat the U.S. and Israel’s ploys.” Referring to Iran’s relationship with India, the PDP president said demonstrations in support of the Islamic Republic should have taken place across the country as in the old times.

“Kashmir also has a close relation with Iran, but since the BJP government came, the whole system in the country has changed, and people are now afraid to protest,” she claimed.

On a question of the plight of the students from J&K studying in Iran amidst the prevailing situation, Ms. Mufti said she has requested External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to arrange special flights to bring back our students.

Published – January 16, 2026 04:44 pm IST