ISTANBUL

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday reiterated his condolences to Iran over the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during a visit to the country’s embassy in Baku.

Aliyev was welcomed at the embassy by Iran’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mojtaba Demirchilou, according to a presidential statement, which said he wrote in the diplomatic mission’s book of condolences.

Aliyev and Demirchilou later held a meeting, during which the Azerbaijani president said he would remember his meetings with Khamenei during visits to Iran with the “most pleasant impressions,” the statement said.

“Demirchilou expressed his gratitude to the president of Azerbaijan for coming to the embassy and expressing his condolences,” it added.

On Sunday, Aliyev offered condolences to his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian over Khamenei’s death, saying Baku was “deeply saddened” by the incident.

“Ayatollah Seyid Ali Khamenei was a figure who played a vital role in the life of the Iranian state and society over many years and held a special place in his country's political and religious life. His death is a great loss for Iran. On this difficult day, we wish peace, stability and security to the friendly and brotherly Iranian people,” he said.

Tensions have escalated across the region since the US and Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran on Saturday, killing nearly 800 people, including the Iranian supreme leader and senior military officials.

Iran has responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Gulf countries, which are home to US military assets.

Six US service members were killed and several others wounded in an Iranian strike on a tactical operations center in Kuwait during the operation, according to US authorities.