- He Had Lot Of Blood On His Hands- US
World leaders have continued to express their condolences on the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
Rescue teams began searching for Raisi on Sunday afternoon after his aircraft, which also carried nine other officials, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, went missing in Iran’s mountainous northwestern region near the Azerbaijan border.
On Monday morning, relief workers located the missing helicopter. State TV reported that the president’s body and that of the others on board had been identified.
Here are some reactions to the president’s death from across the world:
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi had a “lot of blood on his hands”, the White House said on Monday despite Washington offering condolences after his death in a helicopter crash.
“This was a man who had a lot of blood on his hands,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, saying Raisi was responsible for “atrocious” rights abuses in Iran and had supported regional proxies including Hamas.
Kirby said, however, that “as in any other case, we certainly regret in general the loss of life and offered official condolences as appropriate.”
China
President Xi Jinping called the “tragic death” of Raisi “a great loss to the Iranian people and the Chinese people have lost a good friend”, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Egypt
A statement from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that “The president of the Arab Republic of Egypt … prays that the deceased Iranian President and the departed may rest in God Almighty’s mercy, and grant their families patience and solace, expressing the solidarity of the Arab Republic of Egypt with the Iranian leadership and people in this terrible incident.”
European Union
President of the European Council, Charles Michel, expressed the bloc’s “sincere condolences” for the death of Raisi, Amirabollahian and the other Iranian officials who died in the crash.
Josep Borrell, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, also offered his condolences.
“The EU expresses its sympathies to the families of all the victims and to the Iranian citizens affected,” he said in a statement.
Hamas
The Palestinian group conveyed its “deepest condolences and solidarity to Khamenei, the government and the Iranian people for “this immense loss”.
It praised Raisi and Amirabollahian for supporting Palestine against Israel and expressed confidence that Iran’s “deep-rooted institutions” will overcome “the repercussions of this great loss”.
Hezbollah
Lebanon’s Iran back group praised the struggle of the martyrs in defending the causes of the nation and their service to Iran, calling on God to bless them with his mercy, to protect Khamenei, and to grant Iran the ability to overcome the ordeal with patience and determination.
India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened and shocked” by Raisi’s death.
“His contribution to strengthening the India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow,” Modi wrote on X.
Iraq
“We express our solidarity with the brotherly Iranian people and the officials of the Islamic Republic during this painful tragedy,” Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani said in a statement.
Italy
In an interview with Italian broadcaster Channel 5, Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said that she sees “in these hours that the Iranian authorities are crediting the thesis of the accident and not conspiracy theories.”
“I do not see any changes in the internal order in Iran, we are in constant contact with our European and G7 allies because we are talking about an incident that is part of a particularly complex regional framework,” she said.
“I hope that the future Iranian leadership wants to commit itself to the stabilisation and pacification of the region,” she added.
Japan
Japan’s government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said the country expresses its deepest condolences to the government and people of Iran over the death of President Raisi and the foreign minister.
Jordan
In a post on the social media platform X, Jordan’s King Abdullah extended his “deepest condolences to the brothers, leadership, government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the death of Brother President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Brother Hossein Amir Abdullahian and those accompanying them.”
“May God have mercy on them all. We stand in solidarity with our brothers in Iran in this difficult circumstance,” he added.
Malaysia
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was “deeply saddened” by the news, noting that he had the “honour” of meeting Raisi last November.
“His dedication to justice, peace, and the upliftment of the ummah [the Islamic community] was truly inspiring. We committed ourselves to bolstering Malaysia-Iran relations, working together for the betterment of our peoples and the Muslim world. Our pledge will be fulfilled,” Ibrahim said.
