Patriarch of Moscow Kirill Gundyaev expressed his condolences over the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed as a result of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on February 28.

The condolence message was addressed to the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, according to official resources of the Moscow Patriarchate.

In the text of the address, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church calls Khamenei “a man of deep religious convictions”.

“The deceased was a man of deep religious convictions, a spiritual and national leader, strong in spirit and character. I ask you to convey words of sympathy and support to the family and loved ones of the deceased,” the address states.

Earlier it was reported that the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin condemned the killing of Khamenei. In a conversation with the President of Iran, Putin stressed that the killing was carried out with a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.

It should be recalled that on February 28 Israel and the United States struck targets on Iranian territory.

Ali Khamenei died as a result of an Israeli airstrike on his residence. Iranian authorities confirmed his death on the night of March 1.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had led the country for almost four decades. He was remembered as a harsh authoritarian leader who brought his country to international isolation.