In the Name of Allah the Most Compassionate the Merciful In an act contrary to all fundamental principles of human rights and international law and in flagrant violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter, the Zionist regime, with the direct military participation and complicity of the United States of America, has launched an armed and criminal aggression against the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the early hours of Saturday, during this heinous military offensive against Iran's territorial integrity, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, attained the exalted status of martyrdom and departed to the heavenly realm. Throughout decades of wise leadership, with unparalleled resolve and profound wisdom, he safely guided the Islamic Republic through the storms of the fiercest enmities, malice, and all-out pressures. His exalted legacy will remain immortalized in contemporary history—not merely as a paramount leader, but as a symbol of resistance against expansionism, a defender of the rights of oppressed nations, and a herald of independence and dignity. Although the martyrdom of this magnificent figure is a profound loss for the Iranian nation, the Muslim Ummah, and all freedom-seeking people of the world, the Islamic Republic of Iran—anchored by its solid legal institutions and unwavering popular support—will not harbor the slightest hesitation in advancing the lofty goals and ideals of the Revolution and its martyred leader. This unprecedented crime and blatant violation of international law will not only fail to shake the resolute determination of the Iranian nation, but will exponentially strengthen national solidarity in defense of the country's sovereignty, independence, and progress. This brutal aggression and the assassination of the country's highest-ranking official during the holy month of Ramadan and on the eve of Nowruz, coupled with the deliberate bombing of civilian areas—including hospitals, Red Crescent facilities, and schools, such as the attack on the Minab girls' school which resulted in the martyrdom of over 150 young children—transcends mere military action and constitutes a textbook example of a full-scale war crime. The perpetration of these crimes amidst an ongoing diplomatic process, echoing the bitter experience of the 12-day war in June 2025 which was similarly imposed on the Iranian nation during negotiations, serves as an ultimatum to the international community. It exposes the true, treaty-breaking, and anti-peace nature of the aggressors, laying bare their absolute lack of legitimacy in resorting to force. The consequences of this blind adventurism have subjected regional stability and the credibility of international institutions to a historic test. The Islamic Republic of Iran, while reaffirming its policy of good neighborliness and acting upon its inherent right to legitimate self-defense, expects regional third parties to strictly refrain from offering their airspace and logistical facilities to the aggressors. Concurrently, the United Nations, Islamic nations, and members of the Non-Aligned Movement are urged to adopt a transparent stance to prevent the normalization of this state terrorism. Indifference toward such a gross violation of sovereignty equates to a green light for the collapse of international norms and the further emboldening of the aggressors. History bears witness that Iranians, over millennia, have never bowed to foreign hegemony. The pure blood of the martyred Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei will only further nourish the robust tree of Iran's independence, resistance, and dignity. Through this cowardly assassination, the enemies harbor the illusion of creating a power vacuum and weakening Iran's national will; yet they remain oblivious to the fact that Khamenei's school of thought is deeply woven into the very fabric of this nation and the solid structure of the Islamic Republic. The decisive defense of our national sovereignty and territorial integrity is an inviolable red line. Relying on unparalleled internal cohesion, the enduring guidance of its martyred leader, and within the framework of the inherent right to legitimate self-defense, the Islamic Republic of Iran will deliver a fitting, decisive, and lawful response to this blatant aggression.                 Ali Ghomshi Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran