Erdogan expressed condolences over Khamenei's death

On March 1, Turkish President Recep Erdogan expressed his condolences over the death of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

"I am deeply saddened by the death of our neighbor, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as a result of yesterday's attacks. I express my condolences to the brotherly Iranian people," he said in a post on the social network X (ex. Twitter).

The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, Abbas Araqchi, said in an interview with ABC TV channel that the process of electing a new supreme leader of the country has been launched in Iran. The minister also noted that he ruled out a change of the political regime in the country, calling the goal of the United States and Israel an "impossible mission."

Three out of four: who will be able to lead Iran after the death of Ali Khamenei

Among the possible candidates for the post is the son of a former riding leader and a descendant of the deposed shah.

The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reported earlier on March 1. Iran's supreme leader was killed during US-Israeli strikes early on Saturday morning, February 28, while performing work duties at his residence. Against this background, rallies began in the country. The Iranian government has declared mourning.

On the same day, in a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, Araqchi declared Iran's readiness for self-defense after the assassination of Khamenei. The Turkish minister, in turn, expressed his condolences over the death of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. On March 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Iranian President Masoud Peseshkian in connection with the murder of Khamenei.

The chairman of the Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko, on the same day called the assassination of the supreme leader an encroachment on the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic.

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