MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday offered condolences to his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian over the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

"Please accept my deep condolences in connection with the assassination of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyed Ali Khamenei, and members of his family,” said a message published on the Kremlin website.

It said the assassination was committed in “cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.”

Putin added that in Russia, Khamenei will be “remembered as an outstanding statesman who made a huge personal contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Iranian relations and brought them to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership."

"I ask you to convey my most sincere sympathy and support to the family and friends of the Supreme Leader, the Government and the entire people of Iran," he said.

Iran's armed forces said on Sunday that Khamenei was assassinated along with several senior military officials in US-Israeli attacks on the country that began a day earlier.

The statement added that those killed in the strikes included Chief of the General Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammad Pakpour, Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, and Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Aziz Nasirzadeh.