March 09, (THEWILL) — China has described the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s third Supreme Leader as an internal constitutional matter, while Russia has publicly congratulated him on his election and reaffirmed support, underscoring differing international reactions to the historic leadership transition.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, said on Monday that Beijing had taken note of media reports on the leadership change and emphasised that the decision was made in accordance with Iran’s own legal and constitutional framework.
Guo reiterated China’s longstanding policy of non‑interference and called for respect for Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his congratulations to Ayatollah Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, expressing confidence that he would continue his father’s work “honorably” and unite the Iranian people amid trying times.
Putin’s message, released Monday by the Kremlin, reaffirmed that Russia would remain a “reliable partner” to Tehran and pledged “unwavering support” and solidarity with Iran’s leadership and people.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was formally chosen on Sunday night by Iran’s Assembly of Experts (the clerical body responsible for selecting the country’s supreme leader), becoming the third leader of the Islamic Republic.
He succeeds his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes earlier in the conflict.
Meanwhile, the leadership transition has drawn sharp criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who had previously said Iran’s next supreme leader should be someone “reasonable to the United States.”
“I’m not going through this to end up with another Khamenei. They can select, but we have to make sure it’s somebody reasonable to the United States,” Trump told TIME on Wednesday.
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