Above photo: Iran’s Presidency/WANA, Via Reuters.
Regional and international leaders have expressed sorrow over the passing of the president and his team.
Leaders and officials from several countries began to offer their condolences to Iran on 20 May following the announcement of the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other officials in a helicopter crash northwest of the country.
“In Russia, the President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were known as true, reliable friends of our country,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday morning.
“Their role in strengthening mutually beneficial Russian-Iranian cooperation and trusting partnership is invaluable,” Lavrov added, extending “condolences to the families and friends of the victims, as well as to the entire friendly people of Iran.”
“Our thoughts and hearts are with you in this sad hour.” Moscow was involved in the hours-long search efforts to locate the presidential helicopter the night before.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also expressed his condolences, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Xi called the accident “a great loss for the Iranian people.”
The EU also expressed “sincere condolences” to Iran.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise” of Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian, and their accompanying delegation, who were returning from an official trip to Azerbaijan. “My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow.”
Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, sent condolences “on this terrible loss” and said, “The great Iranian nation will overcome this tragedy with customary courage.”
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, who met with the Iranian delegation during an inauguration ceremony for a water dam project just one day earlier, said he was “deeply shocked by the news of the tragic loss suffered by our friendly and brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran and its people” in a statement addressing Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ), and Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani all sent heartfelt condolences to the Islamic Republic.
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) expressed the “deepest condolences” and “reaffirmed the solidarity of the GCC with the government and people of Iran.”
“I remember my brother, President Raisi, with all respect and gratitude,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country also took part in efforts to locate the helicopter on 19 May.
Other Arab leaders and representatives of the Axis of Resistance expressed deep condolences to the people and leadership of Iran.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, and the leadership and people of the Islamic Republic. We affirm that Iraq stands by the Iranian people during this difficult time,” said Iraqi President Abdul Latif al-Rashid.
Lebanon has announced three days of national mourning for the deaths of Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian, and the rest of their team.
In a statement, Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah gave “its deepest condolences and feelings of sympathy” to Iran’s Supreme Leader, leadership, and people.
“We have known His Eminence, the martyred president, closely for a long time. He was a big brother to us, a strong supporter, and a staunch defender of our issues and the nation’s issues, most notably Jerusalem and Palestine, and a protector of the resistance movements and their fighters in all the positions of responsibility he assumed,” Hezbollah said.
Hezbollah also expressed sorrow over the loss of the “active and sacrificing minister,” Amir-Abdollahian, and the rest of Raisi’s team who were killed in the crash.
“We express our shared feelings of grief and pain with the brotherly Iranian people, and our complete solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran, in this painful and grave accident,” said Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
Mohammad Ali al-Houthi of the Yemeni Ansarallah resistance movement expressed “deepest condolences to the Iranian people, the Iranian leadership, and the families [of the victims].”
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad expressed condolences to the Iranian Supreme Leader, government, and people, calling the president “a martyr for the sake of duty” and affirming solidarity with the families of all the victims of the crash.
Thousands of Iranians from Kermanshah mourning president Raisi & its companions.
This is just people gathering without pre-organisation. More people will come outside to mourn en masse probably tomorrow or in the upcoming days. pic.twitter.com/8XVHKdDMmj
— Arya – آریا 🇮🇷🏴 (@AryJeay) May 20, 2024