Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law, according to a message sent to his Tehranian counterpart.
Khamenei was killed on Saturday in an airstrike in Tehran during a joint United States-Israel attack on Iran.
“Please accept my deepest condolences in connection with the assassination of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and members of his family, committed in a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law,” Putin said in the condolence message to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The message was published on the Kremlin’s official portal.
Earlier on Saturday, Russia had condemned the US-Israeli strikes, calling them “unprovoked” aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law and urging a return to diplomacy. The Russian Foreign Ministry described the attacks as a “pre-planned” act of aggression against an independent United Nations member state.
Putin also convened an emergency online meeting of the National Security Council on Saturday to assess the situation following the strikes and Iran’s retaliatory actions.
Meanwhile, the crisis has stranded more than 200,000 Russians in the region due to airspace closures by Iran and Gulf countries. The disruption has affected both organised tourists registered with Russian tour operators and those travelling independently for business, according to state-run TASS news agency.
“Approximately 200,000 people are unable to leave the UAE or return from vacations in the Maldives and other countries,” Alexey Volkov, president of the National Union of Hospitality Industry, told TASS.
The UAE has become a key hub for access to Russia since EU airspace was closed to Russian civilian flights following sanctions over the Ukraine conflict. Volkov noted that the situation remains complex and unpredictable, with drone and missile strikes hitting key tourist locations, including prominent hotels.
He added that many Russians stranded in the region are not tourists but business travellers, as the Middle East is a major hub for Russian capital, investment, and commercial activity.
The Russian government continues to monitor the evolving situation closely, amid growing tensions in the Middle East following the US-Israeli strikes and Iran’s counter-attacks.
(With PTI inputs)