World leaders reacted strongly 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 an obvious act of aggression. After confirming Khamenei’s killing, Pakistan’s president and prime minister issued separate statements expressing grief over "martyrdom" as well as solidarity with the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran. President Asif Ali Zardari conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Iran and stated that Pakistan stands with the Iranian nation in this moment of grief and shares in their loss. "The departure of a leader of such stature, along with other dignitaries, will be deeply felt throughout the Muslim world," he remarked. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed concern over this violation of international law norms, adding that it is an age-old convention that heads of state/government should not be targeted. In a memo to Iranian colleague Masoud Pezeshkian, who was released by the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the killing of the Iranian 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 huge personal contribution to developing friendly Russian-Iranian relations and bringing them to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership," Putin said. China also strongly opposed and strongly condemned the attack and assassination of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and called for an immediate halt to military operations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Sunday.
"The attack and killing of Iran’s supreme leader is a serious violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security. It violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and basic norms in international relations. China strongly opposes and strongly condemns it," said the spokesman. Indonesia’s Ulema ?Muslim Clerical Council expressed its deepest condolences for the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, as a result of the Israeli-American attack on February 28.
"The United States, which plays a central role in dealing with the Palestinian conflict through the Board of Peace, faces a big question: Is this strategy really aimed at a just peace, or does it actually strengthen an unequal security architecture and bury Palestinian independence? Therefore, MUI urges the Indonesian government to revoke its membership from the BoP."
North Korea condemned the US and Israeli attack on Iran as a "unlawful aggression"and claimed it had shown Washington’s "rascal" nature. The two states’ military campaigns against Iran constitute "an illegal aggression and the most despicable form of violation of sovereignty in their nature from A to Z"a spokesman for the North’s foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
"The DPRK strongly condemns the shameless rogue action of the US and Israel," the official said, using the initials for Norden’s official name. Pyongyang said the US and Israel chose to do so "misusing military muscle to realize their selfish and hegemonic ambitions". The European Union’s 27 nations called for "maximum restraint" and ?full respect for international law in the Iran conflict and throughout the Middle East, said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
"We call for maximum restraint, protection of civilians and full respect for international law, including the principles of the UN Charter and international humanitarian law," said a statement issued by Kallas on behalf of all EU member states. However, EU Commissioner Ursula Von Der Leyen reacted to the news by stating that after Khamenei’s assassination there was renewed hope for the people of Iran.
"We must ensure that the future is theirs to claim and shape. At the same time, this moment carries a real risk of instability that could push the region into a spiral of violence."
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Iran is currently in a transition phase and it remains to be seen how long it will last and what impact the war will have.
"What is certain is that a leader who had guided Iran for decades is gone, and that will certainly have consequences, including the loss of Khamenei’s personal authority over the population."
French government spokesman Maud Bregeon noted that Iran’s leader was reportedly "responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians in his country and in the region, so one can only welcome his disappearance. "It is now up to the Iranian people to choose their own destiny."
