World leaders reacted sharply on Sunday to the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli airstrike, with a number of politicians calling it a blatant act of aggression. After confirming Khamenei’s assassination, Pakistan’s president and prime minister issued separate statements expressing sadness over the assassination. "martyrdom" as well as solidarity with the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran. President Asif Ali Zardari extended his sincere condolences to the government and people of Iran, saying Pakistan stood with the Iranian nation in this moment of grief and shared their loss. "The death of a leader of such stature, as well as that of other high-ranking figures, will be deeply felt throughout the Muslim world." he noted. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed concern over this violation of norms of international law, adding that it is an age-old convention that heads of state/government should not be targeted. In a note addressed to his Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezeshkian and released by the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader and members of his family was a "cynical" murder that violated all norms of human morality and international law.
"In our country, Ayatollah Khamenei will be remembered as an outstanding statesman who made a considerable personal contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Iranian relations and their elevation to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership." Putin said. China also strongly opposed and strongly condemned the attack and assassination of Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and called for an immediate cessation of military operations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.
"The attack and assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader constitutes a grave violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security. It tramples on the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the fundamental norms of international relations. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it," the spokesperson said. The Muslim Religious Ulema Council of Indonesia has expressed its deepest condolences for the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei following the February 28 Israeli-US attack.
"The United States, which plays a central role in managing the Palestinian conflict through the Peace Council, faces a major question: Does this strategy truly aim for a just peace, or does it actually reinforce an unequal security architecture and bury Palestinian independence? Therefore, MUI urges the Indonesian government to revoke its membership in the BoP."
North Korea condemned the US and Israeli attack on Iran as a "unlawful act of aggression"claiming that he had shown Washington "thug" nature. The military campaigns against Iran carried out by the two states constitute "an illegal act of aggression and the most despicable form of violation of sovereignty in its nature from A to Z"a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
"The DPRK strongly condemns the brazen criminal act of the United States and Israel." » said the official, using the initials of the North’s official name. Pyongyang said the United States and Israel had chosen to "abuse military power in order to achieve their selfish and hegemonic ambition". The 27 countries of the European Union have called for "maximum restraint" and “full respect for international law in the Iranian conflict and in the Middle East,” European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
"We call for maximum restraint, protection of civilians and full respect for international law, including the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and international humanitarian law." » says a statement issued by Kallas on behalf of all EU member countries. However, European Commissioner Ursula Von Der Leyen reacted to the news by saying that after Khamenei’s assassination, there was renewed hope for the Iranian people.
"We must ensure that it is theirs to claim and shape the future. At the same time, this period carries a real risk of instability which could plunge the region into a spiral of violence."
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that at the moment Iran is in a transition phase and it remains to be seen how long this phase will last and what impact the war will have.
"What is certain is that a leader who guided Iran for decades is gone, and this is bound to have consequences, including the loss of Khamenei’s personal authority over the population."
French government spokesperson Maud Brégeon noted that the Iranian leader would have been "responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians in his country and in the region, we can only welcome his disappearance. "It is now up to the Iranian people to choose their own destiny."
