In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Major General Mousavi, Commander of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The painful incident for the Konarak vessel, which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of Navy sailors, was very painful and sorrowing for me. Although, those hardworking sailors who lost their lives in doing their difficult and honorable duty will be compensated, God willing, with divine reward. However, the pain of losing loved ones for their families, and the loss of these sincere, hardworking youth for the naval forces is immense and difficult to bear.
I give my condolences to their grieving families, and I ask God to grant them patience and calm. Furthermore, I ask God to heal those who have been injured. I ask the officials in charge to investigate this incident thoroughly to identify those who are potentially at fault, and take all necessary measures to prevent such damaging, tragic incidents from happening again.
Sayyid Ali Khamenei,
May 12, 2020