Putin pays tribute to Ayatollah Khamenei Putin says that Russia remembers with gratitude the late supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, for his role in establishing the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, and calls him one of the active creators of the forums. The forum was founded in Tehran in 2001 and brings together the world's leading gas producers, including Russia, Iran and Qatar. Ayatollah Khamenei was assassinated on February 28, 2026 in the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.