Video: Killing of Iran’s Khamenei ‘unacceptable’ use of force — Russian
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov
Abdullateef Fowewe
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov has condemned the assassination of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as an “unacceptable manifestation of the diktat of force,” speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
In his remarks, Lavrov said it was unacceptable “that force was used to kill Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and members of his family.”
He framed the killing, along with strikes on other Iranian military and political leaders, as part of a broader pattern of Western coercion that threatens international stability.
“We regard the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with members of his family and the military and political leadership of the Islamic Republic, as an unacceptable manifestation of the diktat of force,” Lavrov stated.
He added that U.S.-Israeli actions had also struck Iranian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, causing “irreparable damage” to the non-proliferation system.
Khamenei, who had led Iran as Supreme Leader since 1989, was killed on February 28, 2026, during the opening phase of a joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
Airstrikes targeted his compound in Tehran; Iranian state media later confirmed his death along with several family members.
The operation marked the start of the 2026 Iran war.
His son Mojtaba Khamenei subsequently assumed the role of Supreme Leader.
Lavrov’s comments came nearly seven months later during the general debate of the 81st UN General Assembly session, as he criticized what he described as the “dictatorship of a single hegemon” and called for a multipolar world order.
Russia has consistently opposed the strikes on Iran while maintaining close ties with Tehran.
