NEW DELHI, 07 March, 2026: India’s Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions (CTUs) , Independent Sectoral Federations/Associations have in a combined statement on 7 March, 2026, strongly condemned “the US-Israeli military aggression on Iran” (Called Operation Epic Fury by the US) and called upon “the people across India to come out on streets to observe 10th March 20206 as Anti Imperialist – War Day, and for world peace”.
Earlier, India in a statement from New Delhi on 28 February, 2026 said – “India is deeply concerned at the recent developments in Iran and the Gulf region. We urge all sides to exercise restraint, avoid escalation, and prioritise the safety of civilians. Dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued to de-escalate tensions and address underlying issues. Sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected. Our Missions in the region are in touch with Indian nationals and have issued appropriate advisories asking them to remain vigilant, stay in contact with the Missions, and follow local security guidance.”
The statement issued by the Central Trade Unions etc. says:
“The Joint Platform of CTUs strongly condemn the US-Israel military aggression on Iran and call upon the people across India to come out on streets to observe 10th March 2026 as Anti Imperialist-War Day, and For World Peace.
We urge students, youth, women and other sections of the society to join us on 10th March to unite the people against the Destructive wars and for Restoration of World Peace.
After the one-sided unreasonable tariff warfare now the one-sided bombarding of Iran pushed the entire Middle East into a state of war and the entire world into a state of economic turmoil. The cowardly targeting of civilian infrastructure, hospitals, educational institutions, and urban areas violates international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions. Ayatollah Khamenei, the head of the state and many leaders have been killed. The targeted bombing of a girl’s school in Minab, South Iran, killing more than 165 children shows the extension of brutality and barbarity of the offending regimes. The retaliatory actions by Iran targeting the military bases is also causing destruction in the region, including civilian deaths.
The Imperialism is imposing wars, armed conflicts and sanctions over the world disrespecting all international norms as part of its efforts to come out of the deep and systemic world capitalist crisis. War and militarisation become instruments for stimulating the military- industrial complex and reasserting geopolitical dominance and control over natural resources in favour of the crisis-hit World Capitalism.
Iran possesses approximately 9-10% of the world’s proven oil reserves and around 17% of global natural gas reserves, making it one of the most strategically important energy- producing nations in the world. West Asia as a whole account for nearly one-third of global oil production and controls critical maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption passes daily. Any destabilisation of Iran directly threatens global energy security as the impacts have already been felt.
The Gulf countries are also important to India as 55% of our crude oil imports come from their territory. The Gulf nations also import more than 60 lakh tonnes of Basmati rice from India as well as big consignments of Buffalo meat, Marine products, Sugar and fresh vegetables and fruits. These exports provide livelihood to farmers and Indian MSMEs. More than 90 lakh Indian citizens, with more than 5 crore dependents, work in Gulf countries. Their security stands threatened. The government should immediately take care of the informal workers like domestic, care workers, construction workers and also workers who are caught in the labour camps.
We condemn the torpedoing the Iran Ship IRIS Dena – that had come to India as our guest to join the multinational naval exercise at Visakhapatnam- in the Indian Ocean by the US Navy.
The CTUs demand immediate cessation of the war on Iran and other parts of the globe for protection of the sovereignty of all the world nations.
We Demand the Central Government to strictly adhere to the anti-Imperialist stance of India respecting sovereignty of Nations; take lead for immediate cessation of the war on Iran and uniting world nations for peace.
We also demand the Government of India should take swift action and take special measures to ensure safety and welfare of the Indians stuck in GCC Countries.
The government should ensure the security of workers’ remittances, allowing them to send money to their families without issues.
We call upon the people of India to come out on the streets and observe 10 March as Anti- Imperialist-War Day for World Peace and organise rallies / meetings and various other programmes at various levels.”
The press release has been signed by leaders of – INTNC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF and the UTUC. (7 March, 2026)
