Iranian state media confirmed on Saturday that Khamenei was killed during a joint United States–Israeli airstrike on Tehran, a strike Tehran says also claimed the lives of senior officials and family members.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari released a statement through his X account expressing "deep sorrow over the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei and senior Iranian leaders,” offering heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Iran and prayers for "patience and strength during this period of grief.” Islamabad’s reaction underscores Islamabad’s longstanding, albeit complex, ties with Tehran, particularly on border security and regional cooperation.

In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin sent a formal message to Masoud Pezeshkian condemning the assassination as a "cynical murder” that violated "all standards of human morality and international law,” according to the Kremlin’s published statement. Putin also emphasized Russia’s strategic partnership with Tehran and reiterated condolences to the Iranian government and Khamenei’s family.

President Pezeshkian, in remarks broadcast by Iranian state media, called the killing "a declaration of open war against Muslims” and asserted that "retaliation against the perpetrators and leaders of this historic crime is both a duty and a legitimate right.” Tehran has declared a 40-day mourning period and formed an interim leadership council pending selection of a new Supreme Leader.

The unprecedented killing of Iran’s highest authority deepens geopolitical fault lines at a moment of already heightened tensions in the Middle East. 

U.S. and Israeli officials have framed the strike as necessary to disrupt nuclear ambitions and regional influence, but critics argue it risks emboldening hardline factions within Iran. 

Regional and global reactions, spanning condemnation from Beijing to calls for de-escalation from EU leaders, indicate that the aftermath will be both diplomatic and strategic.