TEHRAN (IRNA) -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei expressed his condolences on the sad occasion of demise of Ayatollah Ali Meshkini.

In parts of the message, the supreme leader said, ""Demise of such a pious and devout clergyman has caused deep sorrow and grief for me.""
The message continued, ""The honorable ayatollah was a rare character in all his life and was a model for his students and followers.""
""Although he had a top position in the Islamic Republic as the head of the Experts Assembly, he always lived a humble life."" ""Demise of such an spiritual man and honorable cleric is a great loss.""
The supreme leader concluded, ""I condole with his honorable family, the whole nation, religious authorities and seminaries and I beg Allah the almighty to have mercy on his soul.""
Iran's former president Mohammad Khatami, Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, and Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmud Hashemi Shahrudi also in separate messages expressed condolences on the demise of Ayatollah Ali Meshkini.
Cabinet of ministers declared Wednesday as a ""National Mourning Day"" on the sad occasion of demise of Ayatollah Ali Meshkini. I In a statement, the ministers offered their condolences to the supreme leader, religious authorities, nation, and the bereaved family.
Meanwhile, in the statement, a 2-day public mourning has been declared in Qom Province, where the late ayatollah lived
Suffering two weeks from pulmonic diseases, head of Experts Assembly Ayatollah Ali Meshkini passed away on Monday afternoon at the age of 86