New Delhi, March 1 -- The death of Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei marks one of the most consequential turning points in modern Middle Eastern history. For more than three decades, he stood at the center of Iran's political, religious, and strategic architecture. His killing is not merely the loss of a national leader; it is a seismic geopolitical event that threatens to redraw the region's already fragile fault lines.

This moment is being framed in different ways across the world. For some, it represents the removal of a powerful and controversial figure whose policies shaped Iran's assertive regional posture. For others, it is an act that crosses a fundamental boundary in international conduct, the targeted killing of a sitting ...