'Pandora's box' to open if Iran's supreme leader killed: Russia

MOSCOW

Russia has warned that any attempt to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would "open Pandora's box" and spark a dangerous escalation across the region, in its strongest remarks yet on the Israel-Iran conflict.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sky News at the Constantine Palace in Saint Petersburg on June 20 that regime change in Iran is "unacceptable," warning that such a move would incite "extremist moods" in the country.

"Those who are speaking about [killing Khamenei], they should keep it in mind. They will open Pandora’s box,” Peskov warned.

His comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks on plans to assassinate the Iranian leader and topple the regime.

“The situation is extremely tense and is dangerous not only for the region but globally,” Peskov said.

“An enlargement of the composition of the participants of the conflict is potentially even more dangerous. It will lead only to another circle of confrontation and escalation of tension in the region.”

When asked if Russia would retaliate if Khamenei were killed, Peskov said such a development would have internal consequences in Iran. "It would lead to the birth of extremist moods inside Iran," he noted.