Putin sends condolences to Iran after killing of Khamenei

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressing deep condolences over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and members of his family.

In the message, Putin stated that the crime had been committed “with a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.”

He emphasised that in Russia, Khamenei would be remembered as “an outstanding statesman who made an enormous personal contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Iranian relations.”

The Kremlin added that Moscow expects stability to be preserved and strategic cooperation between the two countries to continue.

Earlier on March 1, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that Khamenei had been killed in the “initial strike” of a military operation against Iran.

The developments come amid escalating regional tensions following exchanges of military strikes between Iran, Israel, and the United States that have continued since February 28.

By Tamilla Hasanova