Mojtaba Khamenei, who took over from his father as supreme leader this month, has reacted to the killing of Iran’s influential security chief Ali Larijani.
“Undoubtedly, the assassination of such a personality shows the degree of his importance and the hostility of the enemies of Islam toward him,” he has said in a written statement.
“Those hostile to Islam should know that the shedding of this blood at the foot of the towering tree of the Islamic system will only make it stronger, and of course every blood has its price, which the criminal killers of these martyrs will soon have to pay.”
Meanwhile, The Qatari foreign ministry says it “reserves its right to respond” to Iranian missile attacks on its Ras Laffan Industrial City.
It described the attack “as a dangerous escalation” and said Qatar “will not hesitate” to protect its sovereignty, the foreign ministry says.
The Gulf nation declared Iran’s defence ministry representative at the Iranian embassy in Qatar as persona non grata and ordered them to leave the country within 24 hours.
“Qatar reserves its right to respond in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and the right to self-defence as guaranteed by international law, stressing that it will not hesitate to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, security, and the safety of its citizens and residents,” a statement reads.
“Despite Qatar’s policy of distancing itself from this war since its outset and its commitment to avoiding any escalation, the Iranian side continues to target it and neighboring countries in an irresponsible approach that undermines regional security and threatens international peace.”
It continued: “The Iranian side continues its escalatory policies that are pushing the region toward the brink and drawing countries not party to this crisis into the conflict zone.”
Written with reports from Sky News
