In his first official comments since the U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran and the subsequent retaliatory attacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader as a “cynical murder,” according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
The Russian leader characterized Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death as a killing that violated “all norms of human morality and international law,” TASS reported, citing CNN.
Putin stated that Khamenei will be remembered in Russia as an “outstanding statesman.”
Moscow and Tehran have long been key allies, with Iran providing Russia military support, including drones and ballistic missiles, and assisting Moscow in building a drone production facility amid its ongoing war in Ukraine.
This comes after the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran, calling them an “unwise step” and an “unprovoked act of armed aggression.”
