Bangladesh has formally condemned the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, four months after initially expressing only grief and condolences following his death in US and Israeli attacks.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad conveyed Bangladesh's position during a meeting with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran on Friday, where he is leading Bangladesh's delegation to Khamenei's state funeral.
In a statement, the foreign ministry said Hafiz expressed "profound condolences" over the "tragic demise" of the "His Eminence" Ayatollah Khamenei and condemned his "brutal killing".
"He conveyed the solidarity of the Government and the people of Bangladesh with the Government and the brotherly people of Iran during this period of national mourning," the statement said.
Khamenei was killed at his residence on Feb 28 as US-Israeli joint strikes began.
Iran retaliated by launching attacks on several Arab countries in West Asia hosting US military bases, describing them as "legitimate targets".
Dhaka's response at the time drew criticism.
In its first statement after the attacks, the foreign ministry condemned violations of the sovereignty of Western countries but did not mention Iran by name or refer to the killing of Khamenei and other senior Iranian leaders.
Amid the criticism, the government issued another statement on Mar 2 saying it was "deeply saddened" by Khamenei's death, but again stopped short of condemning the killing.
It described the attack as a violation of international law and reiterated that disputes should be resolved through dialogue, mutual respect and adherence to international law.
During the controversy, Iran Ambassador to Bangladesh Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi said Tehran was not seeking "war supplies" from Dhaka, only support "as the victim of aggression".
Friday's statement also said Speaker Hafiz highlighted the centuries-old friendship, deep cultural ties and people-to-people relations between Bangladesh and Iran.
He praised Ghalibaf's role in facilitating the recent Iran-US memorandum of understanding and expressed hope it would bring lasting peace, stability and prosperity to Iran and the wider West Asia region. �"bdnews24
