A handwritten letter from Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was released on his social media account on Tuesday amid Israeli claims that its forces had killed him in an airstrike.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Larijani was killed in an Israeli airstrike. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that Larijani was the target of the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on social media on Tuesday that the Israeli leader had ordered the elimination of senior Iranian officials.
Iran has not confirmed whether Larijani was killed in an attack but the handwritten letter, posted on Larijani's social media account and on Iranian media channels, could be seen as an attempt to rebut Israel's claim of Larijani's death, according to analysts.
Expressing condolence to Iranian soldiers on naval frigate IRIS Dena, who were killed in a U.S. strike in early March, Larijani's letter said that their memory will always remain in the heart of the Iranian people and strengthen the foundations of Iran's military development for years to come.
Larijani is considered a key decision-maker in Iran following the death of Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28.
Ali Larijani's handwritten letter released amid reports of his death
The 17th meeting of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation was held in Hanoi on Tuesday.
Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son co-chaired the meeting with officials from various ministries and provincial governments of both sides participating online and offline.
Efficient coordination among various departments and localities of the two countries has led to an upgrade in all-round cooperation, Wang noted.
Faced with a complex and volatile international situation, China and Vietnam should join hands to advance the path of socialist modernization, continuously create new prospects for relations between the two parties and countries, and make new contributions to strengthening Global South unity and self-reliance and promoting international and regional peace and stability, said Wang.
He added that both sides should expand the breadth of pragmatic cooperation, including promoting railway connectivity, strengthening cooperation in agriculture, electricity, finance, key minerals, and technological innovation, and jointly safeguarding the multilateral trading system.
Efforts should also be made to maintain the momentum of people-to-people exchanges, such as promoting cooperation in media, publishing, radio, and film, and to strengthen the management of differences, advance maritime cooperation, and conclude consultations of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea at an early date, Wang added.
Son said that Vietnam has always regarded China as a top priority and strategic choice in its foreign policy, adding that Vietnam firmly adheres to the one-China policy and opposes any form of Taiwan separatist activities.
He added that Vietnam agrees with the next steps of cooperation proposed by China, and is willing to further consolidate strategic mutual trust, prepare for high-level exchanges, and strengthen party and parliamentary exchanges.
Vietnam is willing to deepen defense and security cooperation, promote mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, agriculture, finance, green energy, and cultural and educational fields, strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, properly manage differences, and advance Vietnam-China relations to deeper and more substantive levels, Son said.
China, Vietnam hold meeting to advance cooperation
