Indian defense analyst Major Gaurav Arya has ignited controversy and triggered a brief diplomatic stir after referring to Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, as a “son of a pig” during a televised discussion.
Araghchi was in New Delhi on an official visit on May 8, during which he met with Indian President Droupadi Murmu and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
In the now widely circulated footage, Arya criticized Araghchi for visiting Pakistan prior to his engagements in India—a move that occurred amid heightened tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
The remarks were made during a primetime panel discussion on a major Hindi-language news channel, where Arya’s tone conveyed intense animosity and a striking disregard for diplomatic norms, especially toward a visiting foreign official.
The incident sparked immediate backlash across social media, with hashtags such as #ShameOnIndianMedia and #MediaOrMenace gaining traction both domestically and internationally. The episode prompted concerns from diplomats and media commentators over its potential impact on the delicate yet strategically important relationship between India and Iran.
⚡️BREAKING
An Indian army major calls the Iranian foreign minister “son of a pig” on national television
This video is now going Viral in Iran
The Indian government must immediately take action against this person pic.twitter.com/5cSdNCNaJs
— Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) May 10, 2025
Responding to the uproar, the Iranian embassy in New Delhi issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter, emphasizing Iran’s cultural values: “Respect for guests is a long-standing tradition in Iranian culture. We Iranians consider our guests ‘beloved of God.’ What about you?”
In response, the Indian embassy in Tehran released a clarification, distancing the government from Arya’s remarks. “The Embassy of India in Iran wishes to clarify that the person in this video is a private Indian citizen. His comments do not reflect the official position of the Indian government, which finds the disrespectful language used in the video inappropriate.”
