India condoles Khamenei’s death as Iran begins process to choose new leader

New Delhi, Mar 5: India, on Thursday, condoled the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri conveying New Delhi’s message of sympathy to the Iranian ambassador.

Misri visited the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi and signed the condolence book on behalf of the Government of India.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also released a photograph of the foreign secretary’s interaction with Iran’s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali.

While India has called for resolving the West Asia crisis through dialogue and diplomacy, it had earlier refrained from commenting directly on Khamenei’s killing.

Misri’s visit to the Iranian embassy and his signing of the condolence book assumed significance as several opposition parties had criticised the government for not reacting to Khamenei’s death.

Meanwhile, Iran has not yet elected a successor to Khamenei, a senior Iranian official said on Thursday.

Ayatollah Dr Abdul Majeed Hakeemelahi, the representative of Iran’s supreme leader in India, said the process to elect a new leader is still underway.

“This news is not true because, till now, they (the council) have not chosen or nominated anyone, and the process is still underway,” Hakeemelahi told the news agency, referring to media reports claiming that Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, had been selected as his successor.

“There are several candidates for this position, and Ayatollah Mojtaba is one of them. It is not because he is the son of Ayatollah Khamenei. Rather, because of his qualifications, they may consider choosing him. But it is not finalised, and they are still assessing to find the most qualified person for the position,” he said.

The supreme leader is Iran’s highest political and religious authority, with final say over key policy decisions. He also serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

When asked whether Iran was prepared to publicly name the new supreme leader despite Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz’s threat to target him, Hakeemelahi said, “Iran is ready to defend itself.”

Khamenei, 86, had served as Iran’s supreme leader since 1989 until his death in the US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

PTI