MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei constitutes an example of inciting religious hatred, Iran’s Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali, said in an article for TASS.
"Beyond the legal aspects, the attack on a high-ranking religious figure is a clear example of inciting religious hatred and deliberately offending the feelings of believers," he wrote.
Jalali also highlighted the legal implications of the incident. "During these aggressive actions, which had no legal justification within the framework of legitimate defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, the United States and the Israeli regime deliberately violated the legal and personal immunity of the highest official of the Islamic Republic of Iran, His Holiness Ayatollah Khamenei," he stated.
Jalali emphasized that "from the perspective of international law, in accordance with international conventions and judicial practice, heads of state enjoy full immunity from any encroachment on territory that symbolizes national sovereignty. Therefore, this action should be considered a gross violation of the fundamental norms of international relations concerning the protection and punishment of crimes against persons under international protection."
The United States and Israel launched a large-scale military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. At the same time, US leadership openly called on the Iranian population to rise up against their government and seize power.
As a result of the strikes, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several other senior figures in the leadership of the Islamic Republic were killed.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation targeting sites in Israel; US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia were also hit.