Iran condoles N Korea over Kim’s death

Iran’s Majlis (Parliament) Speaker Ali Larijani has offered condolences to his North Korean counterpart over the death of the East Asian country’s leader, Kim Jong-il.

Larijani condoled with the government and the nation of North Korea in a message addressed to the North Korean official, Choe Tae-bok.

“On behalf of myself and my colleagues in parliament… I would like to express my sympathy to your government and nation and offer my condolences to you and his (the late leader’s) family,” read part of the message.

Earlier in the day, the North Korean state television announced that the 69-year-old had passed away in the capital Pyongyang on Saturday, while on a train travelling through an area outside the capital.

Kim, according to the official account, had died of a “severe myocardial infarction along with a heart attack.”

He had a stroke back in 2008, but appeared relatively energetic during his recent trips to China and Russia.