First heads of state and government have expressed their condolences. Russian President Putin spoke of a great tragedy. Five days of national mourning have been declared in Iran.
Iran’s religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered five days of national mourning following the death of President Raisi. There are initial reactions internationally.
EU Council President Charles Michel expressed his condolences on the X platform on the death of the Iranian president and foreign minister.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said on X that he received the news of Raisi’s death with deep sadness. India stands with Iran “in this time of pain”.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, whose ruling coalition is close to Tehran, expressed “great sadness” over the death of Raisi and his companions in a statement. He expressed his condolences to Iran’s Supreme Spiritual Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and “the brotherly Iranian people.”
Three days of national mourning in Lebanon
Three days of national mourning have begun in Lebanon. The Hezbollah militia there expressed its condolences. Hezbollah, like the terrorist organization Hamas, is supported by Iran.
Hamas said it valued the Iranian president and his foreign minister, who was also killed.
Iran supports Hamas financially and militarily. Tehran welcomed the attack on Israel on October 7 as a “success” but denied any direct involvement. Raisi recently pledged his support to Hamas on Sunday. “Palestine is the most important issue in the Islamic world,” he said shortly before the helicopter crash.
Israel denies guilt
An Israeli government official told Reuters that Israel had nothing to do with the crash. “It wasn’t us,” said the government official, who did not want to be named.
In April there was a direct confrontation between Iran and Israel: For the first time, Iran fired drones and missiles at Israeli territory from Iranian soil after, according to Iranian sources, the Israeli army killed two high-ranking representatives of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Syria.
“A true friend of Russia”
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Khamenei and called Raisi a “true friend of Russia.” Putin said in a telegram that he had made an invaluable personal contribution and development of good-neighbourly relations between Russia and Iran.
Putin spoke of a great tragedy that had struck the people of the Islamic Republic.