Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has strongly condemned the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling it a “great crime” and vowing that it will not go unanswered.
The statement, issued by the presidency, comes as tensions in the region continue to escalate following Khamenei’s reported martyrdom in US and Israeli strikes.
In a forceful message, Pezeshkian said the killing would “turn a new page in the history of the Islamic world and Shiism.”
“The pure blood of this high-ranking leader will flow like a roaring spring and will eradicate American-Zionist oppression and crime,” the statement read.
He added that Iran, with the support of “the Islamic nation and the free people of the world,” would ensure that “the perpetrators and commanders of this great crime regret it.”
National mourning
President Pezeshkian declared seven days of public holidays across Iran, in addition to the previously announced 40-day mourning period.
The extended mourning underscores the significance of Khamenei’s role in Iran’s political and religious structure and signals the gravity with which the state views his assassination.
