Shafaq News- Najaf

Iraq’s senior Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on Sunday extended his condolences to the Iranian people and Muslims worldwide following the reported assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, calling on Iranians to preserve national unity.

In a statement from his office in Najaf, Al-Sistani highlighted “Khamenei’s high status and his unique role in leading Iran’s Islamic Republic over many years,” describing it as clear to all.

“Enemies, through his assassination and the extensive military aggression against the country, aim to strike at dear Iran,” he noted, urging the Iranian people, “in these difficult and sensitive circumstances, to maintain their national cohesion, and not allow aggressors to achieve their malicious goals.”

The Iraqi government announced three days of official mourning after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in US airstrikes that targeted Tehran. In a statement, Government Spokesperson Bassem Al-Awadi said Iraq reiterates its urgent call for an immediate and unconditional halt to military operations, “as well as actions that push the region to unprecedented levels of violence, fuel conflict, and undermine international security and peace.”