In a congratulatory message to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday, Putin said that Iran is confronting armed aggression and that the head of state's actions will require great courage and dedication.
"Now, as Iran confronts armed aggression, your actions in this high position will undoubtedly require great courage and dedication," Putin told Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei in a telegram published on the Kremlin website.
Iran’s Assembly of Experts named Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new leader of the Islamic Revolution in the wee hours of March 9.
Following the martyrdom of Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, who had led Iran for 37 years since the 1989 demise of Imam Khomeini, the Assembly of Experts elected Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the third Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
In a statement, the Assembly offered condolences on the martyrdom of Imam Khamenei and others in a US-Israeli attack on February 28 and condemned the brutal US-Israeli aggression on Iran.
The statement said that immediately after the martyrdom of Imam Khamenei, and despite the wartime conditions and direct threats by the enemies, the Assembly of Experts wasted no time in fulfilling its constitutional duty, and began the process of electing and introducing the new Leader.
It said that after precise and extensive reviews, and based on its religious duty, the Assembly, in its meeting on Sunday, elected and introduced Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the third Leader of the Islamic Revolution, with the overwhelming vote of the members.
The Assembly of Experts elects and oversees the activities of the leader of the Islamic Revolution.
Members of the assembly are directly elected to office by people for an eight-year term.