Maumoon becomes first Maldivian leader to publicly condemn killing of Iran’s supreme leader

Former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom took to social media on Monday night to publicly condemn the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

While the condemnation came two days after Khamenei and members of his family were killed in joint attacks by the United States and Israel, it also marked the first time for a Maldivian leader to publicly condemn the assassination.

“As a sincere Muslim, I condemn the atrocious killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,” wrote the former Maldivian president on X on Monday night.

“May Almighty Allah bless his soul and grant his family and people strength at this time of deep suffering!”

As a sincere Muslim, I condemn the atrocious killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. May Almighty Allah bless his soul and grant his family and people strength at this time of deep suffering!

— Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (@maumoonagayoom) March 2, 2026

The condemnation comes amid scrutiny over the Maldivian government’s approach to Khamenei’s assassination.

While the Maldivian government has issued a statement denouncing attacks “from all sides” and urging “an immediate de-escalation of tensions” in the Middle East, it has not directly condemned Khamenei’s killing.

This tentative stand has been maintained by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu as well as other political leaders in the country – including the opposition.

During a press briefing on Monday morning, President Muizzu was grilled regarding why he hasn’t directly condemned Khamenei’s assassination and why he hasn’t directed for the country to observe a mourning period or for the Maldivian national flag to be flown at half-mast as is standard protocol in the case of the death of other Muslim leaders.

President Muizzu responded that the loss of the life of any Muslim to war is a tragedy.

He said that the Maldives stands with Gulf Arab states, and reiterated his condemnation of attacks by the US and Israel, as well as Iran.

The current conflict erupted after the US and Israeli launched joint strikes on Iran on Saturday, killing Khamenei and other top officials, prompting Iran to launch retaliatory air attacks on the neighboring states that host US assets.

The US and Iran continue to bomb Iran, while Iran attacks military, civilian, and infrastructure sites in Gulf states hosting US forces, such as the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Oman.