Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Wednesday said that the killer of country's security chief Ali Larijani will have to "pay soon" for his blood.
In his first reaction after Lariji's death, Mojtba, in a written statement, said, "Without a doubt, the assassination of such a figure attests to his importance and to the hatred that the enemies of Islam harbour toward him," Mojtaba Khamenei said, in a message published on his official Telegram channel on the day of Larijani's funeral in Tehran.
"Every drop of spilled blood comes at a price, and the criminal murderers of these martyrs will soon have to pay it," added Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to appear in public after taking office following the killing of his father, ex-supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the war.
On Tuesday, Larijani was killed in a strike at his daughter's home in the Pardis area
The state affiliated, Fars News Agency described him as “one of the country’s prominent and prudent officials” and said the attack also claimed the lives of his son, a deputy, and several bodyguards.Iran labelled him a martyr, honouring his role in shaping the country’s defence and regional policies.
The strike came amid escalating hostilities between Iran, Israel, and the United States.
Larijani, 68, had been a central figure in Iran’s security apparatus, particularly after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iran responded with missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and Gulf Arab neighbours, while the US conducted heavy airstrikes on Iranian missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz.These operations targeted “hardened” facilities deemed a threat to international shipping, using bombs weighing up to 5,000 pounds each.
The region, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes, is now under heightened tension, raising global concerns over energy supply.
