ISTANBUL, March 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said he was "saddened" by the death of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a wave of US and Israeli air strikes on Iran.

"I was saddened to learn of the passing of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as a result of the attacks that took place yesterday," he said, his words relayed in a post on X, extending Turkey's "sympathies" to the people of Iran.