India, March 5 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has expressed gratitude to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for offering condolences following the death of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid a rapidly escalating military confrontation involving the United States and Israel.

According to a statement released by Iran's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, Lavrov conveyed Moscow's sympathies during a phone conversation with Araghchi, acknowledging what Iranian officials described as the "martyrdom" of the country's highest authority and several senior military commanders killed in recent attacks.

The Russian foreign minister expressed condolences over what Iran described as the "martyrdom" of the supreme leader a...