Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a forceful statement following the assassination of Iranian security chief Ali Larijani, attributing his death to “criminal murderers” and warning that justice will follow.
In his first public response to the killing, Mojtaba expressed profound anger over the loss of the senior official. He said that every drop of blood has its due vengeance, and that those responsible will soon pay for the blood of Larijani. He emphasised that the perpetrators will be held to account, underscoring Iran’s resolve to avenge the death.
“Without a doubt, the assassination of such a figure attests to his importance and to the hatred that the enemies of Islam harbour toward him,” Mojtaba Khamenei said, in a message published on his official Telegram channel.
“Every drop of spilled blood comes at a price, and the criminal murderers of these martyrs will soon have to pay it,” he added.
Iran’s President mourns killings
Earlier, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed the killing of Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib in Israeli strikes, calling it a “cowardly assassination”. He also expressed anguish over the deaths of Ali Larijani and Aziz Nasirzadeh.
“The cowardly assassination of my dear colleagues Ismail Khatib, Ali Larijani, and Aziz Nasirzadeh, alongside some of their family members and accompanying team, has left us in deep mourning.I extend my condolences to the great people of Iran for the martyrdom of two cabinet members, the secretary of the Shura, and the military and Basij commanders. I am certain their path will continue more steadfastly than before,” Pezeshkian posted on X.
Netanyahu’s free hand to IDF
Israel’s defence chief had announced that Khatib was killed in overnight strikes on Tuesday, just one day after two prominent Iranian leaders — Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani — were also assassinated.
Katz added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given the military authority to take out any additional high‑ranking Iranian officials on the target list without needing further approval.
ALSO READ: Gulf tensions spike as Israel hits Iran’s South Pars; Know about world’s largest gas reserve