The US and Israel opened Pandora's box with the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and must be held accountable for “serious and long-term consequences“. This opinion was expressed to reporters by the Iranian ambassador to Austria Asadollah Eshrak Jahromi at a press conference.
“The US and the Israeli regime have deliberately focused their attention on the highest official of a sovereign UN member state, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Such actions not only violate established principles of international law – they are recklessly opening a dangerous Pandora's box, undermining the foundations of sovereign equality and the stability of the international system“, the diplomat said.
He cited the principle of immunity of heads of state and stressed that “the assassination of Iran's top official constitutes a serious and unprecedented violation of the most fundamental norms governing relations between states“. In addition, Asadollah Eshrag Jahromi recalled that Khamenei was respected by “tens of millions of Muslims“ and therefore his assassination “leads to serious and long-term consequences“, for which Israel and the United States will bear “full responsibility“.