BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 4. Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Co-Chair of the Azerbaijan-Iran Economic Cooperation Commission Shahin Mustafayev expressed his condolences to the Iranian side, Trend reports via the Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan.
According to the information, during today's telephone conversation with Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh, the Deputy Prime Minister expressed his condolences on the death of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, and a large number of Iranian citizens.
Shahin Mustafayev expressed solidarity with the Iranian people and state in connection with this heavy loss and shared their grief.
Following the 2nd round of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran on February 17, which ended without progress, the U.S. increased its presence in areas near Iran, deploying over 150 aircraft to bases in Europe and the Middle East.
The escalation follows the 3rd round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States in Geneva on February 26. Held under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the negotiations were viewed as the final chance to strike a deal diplomatically. However, no agreements were reached, as Tehran refused to halt uranium enrichment, dismantle its nuclear facilities, or accept indefinite restrictions on its nuclear program. Israel launched its airstrikes shortly afterward, with the country's Defense Minister Katz emphasizing that the operations were preemptive.
In a significant escalation, military airstrikes conducted by Israel and the United States the previous day have reportedly resulted in the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei and several members of his family.
Additionally, several of Iran’s most senior military and security officials were killed in the airstrikes, including Chief of Staff Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Pakpour, Supreme Leader adviser and Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, and Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.