Putin calls Khamenei killing ‘cynical murder’

Russian President Vladimir Putin conveyed his condolences to Iran over the assassination of the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, describing his killing as a "cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law", AzerNEWS reports.

"In our country, Ayatollah Khamenei will be remembered as an outstanding statesman who made an enormous personal contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Iranian relations, elevating them to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership," Putin said in a statement shared by the Kremlin.

Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes on Saturday, triggering threats of unprecedented retaliatory attacks coming from Iran's top officials.