Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has condemned the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of Iran’s political and military leadership, calling it “another unacceptable manifestation of coercive diktat.”
Lavrov made the remarks in his address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, September 26. The official UN record confirms that Lavrov delivered Russia’s statement during the General Debate.
In his speech, Lavrov accused Western countries of destabilising the world through the use of force and double standards.
He also said Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine would continue until its stated objectives are achieved.
Quoting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lavrov said, “the dictatorship of a single hegemon has run amok,” describing it as dangerous for those around it. He argued that a more equitable and multipolar world order is emerging as countries in the Global South and East establish themselves as sovereign centres of development.
Lavrov also condemned the US detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife earlier this year, describing their detention as extrajudicial and calling for their immediate release.
He separately denounced the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, members of his family, and figures from Iran’s military and political leadership.
Lavrov said the broader US-Israeli military campaign had also targeted Iranian nuclear facilities operating under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.
According to Lavrov, those attacks caused “irreparable damage” to the nuclear non-proliferation system overseen by the UN-backed nuclear watchdog.
He also criticised what he described as Western coercive policies, arguing that such actions were contributing to instability and undermining a more multipolar international order.
