This Monday, he expressed his “unwavering” support for Iran, after it became known that Mojtaba Khamenei—son of a man killed in the first bombings by the United States and Israel, which began on Saturday, February 28—is the country’s new supreme leader.
“Russia has been and will continue to be a reliable partner of the Islamic Republic. I wish it success in the difficult tasks it faces,” says Putin’s congratulations, distributed by the Kremlin and collected by EFE.
Russia and China are Tehran’s main friends, who at least to date have kept their distance from the war, adopting a pragmatic stance in which it is better not to move than to take the wrong step.
Putin’s message
In his message, Putin stressed that the mandate of Khamenei’s son requires “great courage and dedication”: “I trust that he will continue his father’s work with honor and that he will unite the Iranian people during these difficult trials.”
Putin spoke by phone on Friday with his Iranian counterpart, Masud Pezeshkian, to whom he reiterated Moscow’s condolences for the assassination of the supreme leader of the Persian country, Ali Khamenei, and members of his family, EFE recalls.
The Russian advocated for an “immediate cessation of hostilities” and a quick return to diplomacy. In the call, Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its solidarity.
The choice of successor
The son of the late Ali Khamenei was elected this Sunday by the country’s Assembly of Experts.
The ayatollahs and Iranian deputies had asked to speed up the election of the successor, while the president of the United States, Donald Trump, had warned that the chosen one would not last long in power if he did not first have his approval.
