Ayatollah Khamenei described Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani as a pillar of the Qom seminary and a prominent religious scholar.
The leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution also said in the time of the late Ayatollah Boroujerdi, Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani was one of the best students of that great master; in the time of the late Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Reza Golpayegani, he was his companion as well as a scientific and practical advisor; and during the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani was trusted by Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic.
Iraq’s top Shia authority Ayatollah Ali Sistani also expressed grief over the departure of Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani, describing the cleric’s death as a great loss. Iranian officials including President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian as well as former president Hassan Rouhani also offered their condolences.
Ayatollah Safi Golpayegan died on Tuesday after a heart attack. He was 103.